The prevalence and predictors of high blood pressure in Kherameh cohort study: a population based study on 10663 persons in south of Iran

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is an important risk factor for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) mortality and morbidity among Iranians. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HTN and some of its related factors in south of Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on the data of the Persian cohort study in Kherameh. The participants consisted of 10663 people aged 40-70 years. HTN was defined as either Systolic/Diastolic Blood Pressure (SBP/DBP) greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg or taking medications. Pre-HTN was defined as SBP = 120-139 mmHg and/or DBP = 80-89 mmHg. The logistic regression method was used to identify the factors associated with pre-HTN and HTN.Results: The prevalence of pre-HTN and HTN was 18.8% and 27.7%, respectively. Male gender, old age, being unemployed, low education level, high Body Mass Index (BMI), no smoking, diabetes, Cerebro-cardiovascular disease, suffering from another chronic disease, family history of CVD, and negative family history of cancer and other chronic diseases were independently associated with pre-HTN (p<0.05). All variables, except for gender, smoking, and family history of cancer, were significantly associated with HTN. Drug abuse was also correlated to HTN (p<0.05).Conclusion: This study revealed the increased prevalence of HTN in rural and urban areas. Therefore, the health system needs to develop strategies to raise the accessibility of screening and diagnostic services.