Some sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with primary arterial hypertension: a hospital-based case control study

ABSTRACT

This hospital-based case control study was conducted in Al-Azhar University hospitals, Cairo, Egypt, to examine the association of some sociodemographic and lifestyle factors with primary arterial hypertension. The sociodemographic and lifestyle data were collected from cases and controls by interview questionnaire. Risk estimates were generated by applying logistic regression methods to 193 cases and 200 controls aged 41-63 years. The analysis revealed the risk of primary hypertension to increase with increased age, male gender and moderate family income. Furthermore, adjusted risk of primary hypertension was significantly increased among smokers [OR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.01-2.97], particularly among heavy smokers who reported more than 20 pack years of smoking [OR- 1.90; 95% Cl = 1.00-3.77], sedentary life subjects [OR = 1.90; 95% CI = 1.15-3.02], and among those drinking more than 3 glasses of black tea/day. Additionally, stratified analysis revealed more effect of smoking pack years and consumption of black tea on the risk of stage II hypertension. These results suggest that increased age, male gender and moderate level family income, smoking, sedentary life and black tea drinking are risk factors of primary hypertension in Egyptian population. However, these findings need to be verified in larger confirmatory population-based studies