In Africa, abnormal high blood pressure is common and affects young subjects. The risk of organ damage and mortality increases with blood pressure level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the blood pressure profile of a black African population aged between 18 and 30 years in Côte d’Ivoire. Five hundred fifty‐one healthy black African students, men and women, with sedentary lifestyle, aged between 18 and 30 years were selected. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures and heart rate were recorded after 5 min of rest. Regression models were used to estimate the effects of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) on SBP and DBP. Each increase of 1 year in age and 1 kg/m 2 of BMI is significantly associated, respectively, with an increase of 20% ( p = .002) and 17% ( p = .008) in the risk of having an SBP ≥ 130 mmHg. The same risk is 3.8 times greater for men than women ( p = .01). Among subjects with SBP < 120 mmHg, men have an SBP 5.22 mmHg higher than women ( p < .001). The increase in the age of 1 year is significantly correlated with a rise of 36% of having a DBP ≥ 85 mmHg ( p = .0001). Also, in men population, the age increase of 1 year is associated with a rise of 41% of having a DBP ≥ 85 mmHg ( p = .0001). Among young black African students aged between 18 and 30 years in Côte d’Ivoire, SBP is positively associated with male gender, age, and BMI. For DBP, it is only an increase with age.

Background Some previous works have focused on dose‐response relationship between cocoa consumption and blood pressure in Caucasians. As black subjects have lower nitric oxide bioavailability, the aim of this work was to determine the dose‐effect relation between cocoa and blood pressure in black Africans. Method One hundred and thirty healthy black African males aged 18–30 were randomly assigned into four groups: three groups consuming 10 g, 5 g, or 2 g of cocoa powder daily for three weeks and one control group that did not consume cocoa. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were measured on day 1 (D1, before any subject consumed cocoa), D8, D15, and D22. Means of the parameters at each of the four visits and changes of the means were compared among the groups. Results Significant decrease in SBP was noted in consumers of 10 g compared to controls in the 1st week, and compared to consumers of 2 g in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of follow‐up. Means and changes of DBP were statistically similar among the four groups. Conclusion Among our cohort, decrease in SBP was significantly greater in the heavy cocoa consumer group (10 g) compared to the low consumer group (2 g), but there was no statistically significant difference when compared with the intermediate consumer group (5 g). The dose‐response relationship between cocoa consumption and changes in SBP was not linear. No relationship was found between cocoa consumption and DBP.

Introduction Maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV) and flow expiratory volume in the first second (FEVı) are important spirometric parameters. They are both gender‐dependent. However, estimating the MVV, which is widely practiced in cardiopulmonary function testing, by multiplying FEVı by a constant value (equal to MVV/FEVı ratio) does not seem to take this into account. The purpose of this study was to compare the MVV/FEVı ratio by gender among healthy young adults. Methods This cross‐sectional prospective study involved 67 medical sciences students, including 36 females of the same race, height, and age group. Their ventilatory function was assessed using a computerized spirometer, according to international recommendations. Pearson's test made it possible to correlate different spirometric parameters and linear regression was established between MVV and FEVı. The nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the MVV/FEVı ratio between females and males. Comparisons by gender were made also between our data and previous prediction equations. Results In both females and males, FEVı was the spirometric parameter with which MVV had the highest correlation ( r = .91 in females, r = .63 in males). A comparison of the means of the MVV/FEVı ratio by gender showed a statistically significant ( p < .005) decrease in females (35.68 vs. 38.87). The previous prediction equations showed statistically significant under and overestimation of MVV values when gender was not taken into account. Conclusion For the same height, age, and race, the ratio MVV/FEVı was significantly lower for females. So, the use of a preset constant value in estimating the MVV without taking gender into account was methodologically questionable. This work, which could have clinical implications, would benefit from being confirmed in a larger population.