ABSTRACT
Blood pressure and anthropometric characteristics were studied in a 10% random sample (n = 675) of Bantu, aged greater than or equal to 10 years and living in an urban quarter of Kinshasa, Zaïre. The prevalence and awareness of hypertension as well as the therapeutic situation in adult participants aged greater than or equal to 20 years were also evaluated. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure tended to be higher in males than in females. In adults greater than or equal to 20 years, systolic and diastolic pressure were positively and independently correlated with both age and body weight. In youths (10-19 years old), systolic pressure was associated with age and body weight, while in girls diastolic pressure was related to age only. Using WHO criteria, the overall prevalence of definite hypertension in adults was 9.9% (13.6% in males and 6.8% in females). The prevalence of borderline hypertension was 7% (8.4% in males and 5.6% in females). Of the participants studied with definite and borderline hypertension (n = 49), 69% were not aware of their blood pressure elevation; 31% were aware, but only 13% were treated and 3% were controlled. It is concluded that hypertension is not uncommon in these urban Bantu and that programmes for screening and educating the population should be developed and implemented.
Subject(s)
Blood Pressure , Hypertension/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Black or African American , Age Factors , Aged , Black People , Body Weight , Child , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Epidemiologic Methods , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
The causes of fever were attempted to identify in a prospective study on 300 adult in- and outpatients with fever at Kinshasa Teaching Hospital, Zaire. Infection was by far the primary cause of fever (87%). Tuberculosis occurred in 15% of the inpatients. Malaria was the most frequent febrile disease: one fever in two was malaria. Connective tissue diseases and neoplasms were rare.
