Hypertension and prehypertension: prevalence and associated factors in Gabonese Youth and Adolescents

Abstract

Background : Early detection of hypertension is necessary to reduce subsequent morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension in high school students from the capital city of Gabon and to identify their associated factors. Methods : This was a cross-sectional and analytical study carried out on a population of students enrolled in two establishments in Libreville during the 2018-2019 year school. Information on hypertension family history, eating habits, alcohol and/or tobacco consumption, oral contraception, age, gender, body mass index and blood pressure were collected. The National High Blood Pressure and European Cardiology Society 2013 classifications were used for the analysis of blood pressure in children and young adults respectively. Results : A total of 613 students with mean age of 20.3 ± 2.5 years were included. Sex ratio was 2.3. Prevalence of hypertension was 19.4% and the following factors were found to be independently associated with hypertension: overweight (aOR: 2.77 [1.29-9.99]) and male gender (aOR: 2.10, [1.22-3.62]) or not independently: overweight (OR: 2.52, [1.30-4.89] and obesity (OR: 2.62, [1.30-5.27]) (p<00.1). The prevalence of prehypertension was 23.0%, obesity (aOR:3,93 [1.02-15.2]) was independently associated with prehypertension, while overweight (OR: 2.16, [1.03-4.53]) and male sex (OR: 1.72, [1.10-2.78]) (p<00.1) were dependent factors. Conclusions : Hypertension and prehypertension are not unfrequent in school students from Libreville. Awareness of associated factors and screening campaigns within school establishments are necessary to reduce complications in adulthood.

Prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors according to urbanization level, gender and age, in apparently healthy adults living in Gabon, Central Africa

“…To date, there was no recorded data on the prevalence of daily tobacco use and harmful alcohol consumption in Gabon, although these behaviors are noticed among young adults. The prevalence of daily tobacco use was higher than that observed in young Gabonese students (19.2% vs 14%), in Kenyan adults (13.5%) and in global reports from SSA [14,21,22]. The fact that men are more likely to be smokers than women is currently reported worldwide [9,23].…”

“…The prevalence of HBP was lower in rural settings in this study, it reached 39% in areas where it is known that awareness campaign and annual systematic screening and treatment are not often accessible. A recent study conducted in Libreville revealed an HBP prevalence rate of nearly 20% among adolescents [14]. Altogether, these results suggest that HBP is a major public health problem in Gabon and that there is an urgent need to implement control and prevention strategies.…”

“…HBP was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ≥80 mmHg or when participants followed a treatment for HBP. Pre-hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure between 120-129 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure between 70-79 mmHg [14]. An elevated heart rate amounted to >80 beat/min.…”

“…Furthermore, according to the WHO global health statistics, one in five people is considered obese and in 2018, 17% of deaths were related to CVD [13]. In the same way, a high prevalence of HBP was described in young students [14]. It was recently shown that in SSA, the increased morbidity and mortality rates of CMD are a consequence of inefficient prevention programs and healthcare strategies [15].…”