Hypertension in the rural population of Bangladesh--a preliminary survey.

ABSTRACT

A total of 5,026 persons constituting 75% of the total population of a village of Bangladesh were screened for elevated blood pressure. Three hundred thirty seven (6.7%) showed diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or above. Those with diastolic blood pressure of 95 or above constituted 2% of the population. 74% of the hypertensives were asymptomatic while 86.3% of the cases were undetected and therefore remained untreated. Our findings indicate the need for early detection and control of elevated blood pressure to prevent complications. It is recommended that a large scale community survey programme may be undertaken for detection and early treatment of hypertension which helps prevention of total complications.