[Secondary prevention of arterial hypertension in rural population of Moldavia]. / Vtorichnaia profilaktika arterial'noi gipertonii sredi sel'skogo naseleniia Moldavii.

The results of the third year of nondrug and pharmacological prevention of arterial hypertension according to the steppedcare scheme of WHO are provided. A low rate of response (46%) to annual check-up was noted among rural residents with arterial hypertension detected by screening which hampers the preventive intervention. During the third year of preventive campaign 9.3 percent of people were covered by regular hypertensive treatment, 20.61 percent--by irregular treatment and 24.4 percent with elevated blood pressures detected by screening never received any treatment. Among women the proportion of those receiving hypertensive treatment (both regular and irregular) was larger. An analysis was made of mean levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the beginning and at the end of the third year of observation in groups of patients with different attitude to treatment. At the third year of implementing the programme of secondary prevention the number of hypertonic patients receiving effective treatment increased 8-fold compared with baseline data. Persons with higher levels of arterial blood pressure were more often applying for treatment. The normalization of arterial blood pressure was noted in 39% of persons applying for regular treatment, 31%--for irregular treatment and in 26% of non-treated hypertonic patients.

[Knowledge of the rural population on factors promoting the emergence of arterial hypertension]. / Osvedomlennost' sel'skogo naseleniia o faktorakh, sposobstvuiushchikh vozniknoveniiu arterial'noi gipertonii.

A random sample of the rural community (two villages) were examined by means of questionnaire. Seventy-four percent of the community could not denote any risk factors of arterial hypertension. A very low percentage were informed of the role played by sodium chloride in the genesis of hypertension. Moreover, the community was very poorly informed of the adverse effects of overweight, tobacco smoking, and alcohol abuse. Excess use of sodium chloride was likely to be one of the causes promoting high prevalence of arterial hypertension. Some of the people were of opinion that arterial blood pressure might be influenced by definite nutritional and non-nutritional factors. The data obtained point to a low enough level of hygienic knowledge of the rural community regarding arterial hypertension risk factors. It is concluded that high prevalence of arterial hypertension risk factors and the low level of information of those factors provide evidence in favour of carrying out large-scale measures aimed at primary prophylaxis of arterial hypertension in the rural community. It is stressed that one should begin with the raising of the hygienic knowledge standards of the community.