Pre-Hypertension And Hypertension In Apparently Healthy Adolescents In Calabar, Nigeria.
F Odey, M Anah, V Ansa, J Ogbeche, M Meremikwu, E Ekanem
Abstract
Hypertension is a major public health burden in sub-Saharan Africa. It has been shown to track from adolescence to adulthood. Pre-hypertension refers to consistent systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure (BP) measurement between 90 - < 95th percentile, while hypertension is when systolic and/or diastolic BP ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex. Prehypertension is considered heightened risk for developing hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension among urban adolescents in Calabar, south eastern Nigeria. This was a cross sectional survey using multistage sampling techniques among adolescents between the ages of 10 – 18 years in four secondary schools in Calabar metropolis. Blood pressures and anthropometric measurements were taken and body mass index was calculated. Three hundred and seventy five subjects were assessed, 146 males and 229 females. The prevalence of hypertension was 6.7%, pre-hypertension was 7.5% and that of obesity was 1.9%. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) for males was 114.00 ± 13.04mmHg while that for females was 115.18 ± 12.18mmHg. Only the SBP were found to increase significantly with age (p
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ISSN: 1597-9857