02279nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001100001100042700001400053700001000067700001100077700001400088700001000102700001200112700001200124700001000136700001000146700001000156245010800166250001500274300001000289490000700299520167300306020004601979       2012                            d1 aYan L.1 aLi Nicole1 aHe F.1 aLam C.1 aZhou Ying1 aWu Y.1 aLi Xian1 aZhao X.1 aLi S.1 aKe L.1 aBa S.00aPrevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension Among Herdsmen Living at 4,300 m in Tibet  a2012/02/24  a583-90 v253 a<p>
BackgroundStudies on blood pressure (BP) in high-altitude areas are scarce and the results are controversial. Tibetans live in regions at high altitudes, and data on the prevalence of hypertension in this population is not currently well known.MethodsAll Tibetans aged 40 years and older living in the township of Yangbajing (4,300 m) in Tibet, China were invited to participate in the 2009 survey. BP was measured with electronic sphygmomanometers (calibrated by the results of a previous study). Histories of hypertension and medication use were collected through face-to-face interviews. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP (SBP) &gt;/=140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP (DBP) &gt;/=90 mm Hg, or antihypertensive medication use in the past 2 weeks.ResultsA total of 701 adults (aged 40-89, 42.9% male, 94.9% herdsmen) were recruited. The mean (s.d.) SBP/DBP was 146.6 (31.3)/92.0 (15.7) mm Hg and the prevalence of hypertension was 55.9%. Of note, 61.2% of those with hypertension had stage 2 hypertension (SBP &gt;/=160 or DBP &gt;/=100 mm Hg). At age 70 years and older, the mean (s.d.) SBP/DBP were 182.8 (30.9)/102.6 (13.4) mm Hg. Among those with hypertension (n = 392), only 19.9% were aware of their condition, 2.6% were taking medication, and only one participant had controlled BP.ConclusionAccording to our survey in Yangbajing, Tibetan adults aged 40 years and older living at high altitudes had high BP and prevalence of hypertension with low awareness, treatment, and control. Future studies are needed to clarify the association between BP, altitude, and other possible causes.American Journal of Hypertension 2012; doi:10.1038/ajh.2012.9.
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