Revista de hipertensión: acceso abierto

Prevalence of Hypertension among Residents of Ebudu Community in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Omoge Adeyemi O

Background: Hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) is a condition in which the blood pressure of a person is consistently too high. Hypertension is often called the ‘‘silent killer’’ because it may not present any warning signs or symptoms and therefore may not be detected until another serious medical condition is diagnosed. It is a major risk factor for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, and can result in other serious medical complications, including blindness and kidney failure.

Objective: The aim of this study is to discover the prevalence of hypertension among people living in Ebudu Community in Edo, State, Nigeria. Methodology: A systematic random sampling was used in recruiting seventy three (73) persons who participate in this study. The necessary information and blood pressure readings were taken. Results were analyzed using SPSS version 23.

Results: The mean age of the respondent were 55.25 + 14.53, 20 (27.4%) were between 56 – 65 years, 61 (83.6%) were female, 40 (54.8%) were farmers and 30 (41.1%) had secondary school education. 11 (14.4%) have normal blood pressure (100/60 – 120/80), 20 (28.0%) are pre – hypertensive/at risk (121/81 – 139/89), 24 (33.6) are at stage 1 hypertension (140/90 – 159/99) and 18 (25.2%) are at stage 2 hypertension (160/100) and above.

Conclusion: Hypertension is a non-communicable disease of public health concern as it is one of the causes of increased mortality across the globe. For these reasons, health education and promotion measures designed to prevent and control all the contributory risk factors of hypertension in the community should be strengthened and be focus of attention.