Determination of the prevalence of hypertension and factors associated with blood pressure among hospitalised elderly in Hospital Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: Increasing trends of hypertension has been recognised as a common disease among the elderly. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension and factors associated with blood pressure among hospitalised elderly. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 124 patients in Hospital Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Data on socio-demography, medical background, anthropometry, blood biochemistry and lifestyle were collected through face-to-face interviews and medical records. Dietary intake was obtained through two days of food history. Malnutrition risks and stress level were determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: There were 59.7% males and 40.3% females with mean age of 66.81±5.35 years. Majority were found to have hypertension (72.6%). Approximately 38.7% had normal body mass index (BMI). Most of them reported insufficient dietary intakes except for trans fats, sodium, and caffeine. Nearly 62.1% were engaged with physical activity, 23.4% were smoking, and 4.8% were taking alcohol. Approximately 66.1% and 86.3% were classified as having normal nutritional status and normal stress levels. In this study, the prevalence of hypertension among elderly patients warded in Hospital Serdang, Selangor was 72.6% and factors such as length of stay, number of co-morbidities, number of medications, having co-morbidities of hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus, polypharmacy, height, BMI, fibre, polyunsaturated fat, dietary cholesterol, caffeine, and duration of physical activity were found to be associated with blood pressure. Conclusion: The present study found that majority of patients (72.6%) had hypertension. Future studies regarding factors associated with blood pressure are recommended

Assessment of Body Fat Percentage and Its Associated Factors among Hospitalized Elderly

“…It has been revealed that the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension was higher (60%) in patients with higher body fat percentage and visceral fat levels (8). Additionally, in previous studies, the prevalence of hypertension in hospitalized elderly increased along with the number of overweight or obese individuals (25)(26)(27). Contrary to current study, a previous study found an association between presence of multimorbidity and body fat percentage, revealing that subjects suffering more than six comorbid conditions have a higher body fat percentage than those with the least chronic conditions (28).…”

“…In terms of adequacy, most subjects did not meet energy and protein adequacy. The complaints were similar to previous studies in which subjects complained of no appetite, difficulty chewing and swallowing food, food was unappealing, and circumstances of their meals might have contributed to the insufficient intakes (25,47).…”

Handgrip Strength Assessment and Its Associated Factors among Hospitalized Elderly in Klang Valley Hospitals

“…Besides, having a low energy intake also caused the body to catabolize muscles to produce energy to meet the daily need to carry out basic daily activities. Inadequacy of energy and protein intake as found in this study is common among hospitalized elderly in Malaysia (45,46). Thus, a previous study had also found that energy and protein inadequacy affected handgrip strength contradicting the current study finding (47).…”