IADR Abstract Archives

Prevalence of hypertension in the Dominican Republic

Objectives: The literature documents little information regarding the prevalence of hypertension in the Dominican Republic[1].  This study investigates in a sample of convenience the prevalence of hypertension in one area of this country.

Methods: A total of 196 adults who presented at a free dental clinic organized and staffed by faculty and students of University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine had their blood pressure, age and gender recorded. Hypertension was determined following the guidelines listed in the "Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure" (JNC7)[2]:

Category

        SBP mmHg                             DBP mmHg

Normal

           <120                   and                  <80

Prehypertension

         120-139                   or                80-89

Hypertension, Stage 1

         140-159                 or                   90-99

Hypertension, Stage 2

           ³160                    or                   ³100

KEY: SBP = systolic blood pressure   DBP = diastolic blood pressure

Results: Results are contained in the attached figures:


Conclusions:

  • The prevalence of hypertension in the Dominican Republic adult population is extremely high compared to the United States: 86.2% vs. 28.7%.
  • There was a statistically significant difference in age between stage 2 hypertension and all other hypertension categories, with stage 2 individuals being significantly older (45.5 y vs. 30, 36 and 36 y, respectively).
  • The findings of this study reinforce the need to screen for hypertension.
  • While additional studies are needed, the results of this study suggest that a critical number of individuals in the Dominican Republic are hypertensive and are at risk for cardiovascular heart disease.

 

Supported in part by Health Resources and Services Administration Grant D59HP20005-05-0, Dept. of Health and Human Services.


[1] Prevalence of risk factors for coronary heart disease among Dominicans in the Dominican Republic: comparison with Japanese and Americans using existing data. Aono H, Ozawa H, Bello MC, Ito M, Saito I. J Epidemiol. 1997 Dec;7(4):238-43.

[2] Seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Chobanian AV, et. al., Hypertension. 2003 Dec;42(6):1206-52. Epub 2003 Dec 1.


Pan European Federation Meeting
2006 Pan European Federation Meeting (Dublin, Ireland)
Dublin, Ireland
2006
87
Scientific Groups
  • Fabiano, Eileen T.  ( State University of New York - Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA )
  • Fabiano, Jude A.  ( State University of New York - Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA )
  • Davis, Elaine L.  ( State University of New York - Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA )
  • Munoz, Carlos A.  ( State University of New York - Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA )
    • Poster Session
    C. Oral Health Research, Poster Session I
    09/13/2006