Association between ethnicity and hypertension in Northern Colombia in 2015

Abstract

Background Studies in the United States have shown a genetic predisposition to hypertension in individuals of African descent. However, studies on the associations between ethnic groups and hypertension in Latin America are lacking and the limited results have been inconsistent. The objective of this study is to determine whether Afro-Colombian ethnicity increases the risk of hypertension. Methods This study is a secondary data analysis of a cross sectional study from five provinces in Northern Colombia. Randomly selected individuals (N = 2613; age-range 18–74 years) enrolled in a health care insurance company underwent physical examinations and completed questionnaires regarding ethnicity, lifestyle, and other risk factors. Hypertension in these patients was determined. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analysis were calculated to determine the association between ethnicity and hypertension. Results No association between Afro-Colombian ethnicity and hypertension was found (odds ratio [OR], 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66–1.09). As expected, people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher were at a greater risk of having hypertension (OR, 3.12; 95% CI, 2.35–4.16) compared with those with a normal BMI. Conclusions Findings from this study suggest no independent association between Afro-Colombian ethnicity and hypertension. Further research should focus on genotyping or socioeconomic factors such as income level.

The Rationale for Using Fixed-Dose Combination Therapy in the Management of Hypertension in Colombia: A Narrative Review

“…The reported prevalence of hypertension in Colombia depends on the sampled population (Table 1 ), but hypertension affects between 28 and 44% of the adult population [ 10 , 11 , 15 – 18 ]. The prevalence increases with age [ 17 , 19 ], body mass index (BMI) [ 16 , 17 , 20 ], comorbidities [ 21 ], and correlates of low socioeconomic status, such as low education level and Afro-descendent ethnicity [ 15 , 17 , 18 ]. In Colombia and other middle-income countries, there is a clear relationship between wealth index and undetected hypertension, with poorer populations having lower rates of detection [ 14 ].…”