ABSTRACT
Hypertension, a chronic medical condition is commonly seen in young people in my environment. Certain risk factors are associated with the development of this condition. They include a positive family history of hypertension, being overweight /obese, excessive alcohol intake, cigarette smoking and high salt intake. The role of micro-RNA, GRK2, CaMKIV and PIA2 are obvious in the aetio-pathogenesis of hypertension. This study was conducted to find out which of these factors have effect on hypertension on young people. Methods: One hundred and fifty one young people diagnosed with essential hypertension (new cases) over a one year period January to December 2013 were recruited from patients attending the general outpatient clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Their age, sex, tribe, occupation and marital status were assessed. Risk factors like cigarette smoking, significant alcohol intake, adding salt to meals before eating, family history of hypertension and history of diabetes mellitus, weight, height, body mass index, hip circumference, waist circumference and blood pressure were assessed. Results: A total of 151 respondents (n=151) were recruited into the study.48 respondents had stage 1 hypertension JNC 7 classification while 103 had stage 2 hypertension JNC 7 classification. More women had hypertension n=84(55.6%). Respondents with secondary level of education had more stage 1 hypertension JNC 7 classification while those respondents with tertiary education had more stage 2 hypertension JNC 7 classification. Married respondents had more of stage 2 hypertension JNC 7 classification n=56(54.4%) than stage 1 hypertension n=22(45.6%). Family history of hypertension was present in n=79(52.3%) respondents. Stage 2 hypertension JNC 7 classification was associated with having a positive family history of hypertension p=0.001. Adding extra salt to serve meals was associated with stage 1 hypertension JNC 7 classification p=0.006. Other risk factors were not significantly associated with any stage of hypertension. Conclusion: Positive family history of hypertension and adding extra salt to serve meals were significant risk factors for hypertension in young persons in this study. So young people with positive family history of hypertension should begin early screening for detection of hypertension and reduce or refrain from adding extra salt to serve meals to reduce risk of developing hypertension.
ABSTRACT
Hypertension is a chronic medical condition where the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. It is taken as blood pressure reading greater than or equals to 140/90 mmHg systolic and greater than or equals to 90 mmHg diastolic. Recently, there is an upsurge in the diagnosis of essential hypertension among young people attending the general outpatient clinic so this generated the interest to study the socio-demographic variables and symptom presentation of these young people diagnosed with hypertension. Aim: To determine the socio-demographic features of young people diagnosed with essential hypertension and the common clinical features. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of young people aged 20-44 years diagnosed with essential hypertension over a one year period January –December 2013 at General outpatient department of University of Uyo teaching hospital were recruited into the study. The questionnaire sought information on socio-demographic characteristics and symptoms presented by the respondents. Blood pressure was measured and classified into stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension according to JNC 7. Results: One hundred and fifty one respondents with essential hypertension were recruited into the study. 62.8% of them had stage 2 hypertension, most of them were in age group 35-39 years n=44 (29.1%), were females n=84 (55.6%). More than half of respondents had tertiary education n=70 (46.4%), traders were more than others in terms of occupation n=46 (30.5%). Common symptoms presented were headache n=106 (70.2%), dizziness n=77 (51.0%) insomnia n=76 (50.3%), palpitation n=88 (58.3%). Insomnia and palpitation were significantly associated with stage 2 hypertension with p value of 0.031 and 0.013 respectively. Conclusion: Hypertension is becoming common among young people in our facility; insomnia and palpitation are associated with stage 2 hypertension among these young people, so there is need to screen young people that present with these symptoms for high blood pressure.