Blood pressure levels in urban school-age population in Chile.

Abstract

SUMMARY Two blood pressure (BP) measurements separated by 3 months were performed according to international guidelines on 2976 students (11 to 19 years) of different economic levels. Obesity was defined based upon height and weight. With the first measurements, 50th and 95th percentile value distribution curves were defined. Systolic hypertension (SH) was found in 9.5%; 10.2% were males and 8.9% females. The sample showed that 8.1% were obese (240 cases); among them the incidence of SH increased to 28.8% (69 cases) (p < 0.01). In the entire sample, diastolic hypertension (DH) was 43%; males, 2.7%, and females, 5.5% (p < 0.01). Among obese students, DH increased to 83% (20 cases) (p < 0.01), and showed prevalence figures of 5.8% for obese males and 103% (14 cases) for obese females. After a second measurement, DH for the sample decreased to 1.8%. Salt intake and familial antecedents of high BP showed differences between hypertensive and normal populations. M This stresses the importance of epidemiological research in different geographic areas to obtain information on distribution of blood pressure (BP) values, incidence of hypertension, and role of risk factors.The purposes of our study were to: 1) build the first BP distribution curves for a Chilean urban adolescent population; 2) compare these curves with those presented in the American Report of the Task Force on BP Control in Children; 10 3) establish the prevalence of suspicious values of systolic hypertension (SH) and diastolic hypertension (DH); and 4) relate obesity, excessive salt intake, and familial antecedents of hypertension to individual BP values. MethodOur sample was made up of 2,976 students 11 to 19 years old, selected from three schools to provide contrast in socioeconomic levels. They lived in metropolitan Santiago, Chile's capital, with an estimated population of 3.5 million, 22% of them belonging to the 10-to 19-year age group.Antecedents of familial hypertension and previous determinations of BP were obtained through a written form answered by each student's parents. After a previous appointment, height, weight, and BP measurements were performed at school, in a quiet room around 20°C during normal lecturing time. Height and weight were determined in indoor clothing without shoes. BP measurements were taken following the recommendations of the American Task Force; 10 observers were always the same physicians. Only 37% of the students had previous determinations of BP. The first measurement values were used to build percentile distribution curves by age and sex. According to the recommendations of the Task Force, we labeled as suspicious individuals in the 95th or over percentile of that report's figures, because we had no national reference values of BP in children. Subjects with diastolic values at or over the 95th percentile were rescreened within 3 months, and they are still being followed to obtain a third measurement.

Prevalence and interrelations of cardiovascular risk factors in urban and rural Mexican adolescents

“…The 9.0% overall prevalence of high blood pressure in our adolescent population is similar to the 9.5% reported for Chilean [35] and 12.0% for Argentinian adolescents [36], but higher than the 3.0% prevalence for Colombian [37] and the 2.7 % for Costa Rican adolescents [9]. Life style, dietary habits, environment, and differences in criteria to define high blood pressure and in the age groups surveyed may be the underlying factors for the variations in the prevalence of high blood pressure among adolescents from these Latin American countries.…”