Hypertension in the elderly: Prevalence and health seeking behavior

Abstract

Background:Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are major contributors of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Estimating the prevalence of hypertension and studying the health seeking behavior is important.Aim:This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and understand the health seeking behavior among the elderly in rural Puducherry, south India.Materials and Methods:A total of 211 elderly from a rural community were selected by systematic random sampling. Blood pressure (BP) was measured. Socio-demographic characteristics and health seeking behavior were assessed by interviews.Results:Prevalence of hypertension among study participants was 40.5%. Prevalence of hypertension among elderly male subjects was 39.2% and in female subjects was 40.8%. About 62% (53 out of 85 hypertensives) were already aware of their hypertensive status. About 54.7% (29) were diagnosed at government health facilities either at primary health centers (PHCs) or a government hospital.Conclusion:Burden of hypertension among the elderly is high in rural areas. Strategies to detect and treat hypertension in the elderly have to be implemented early.

Patterns and predictors of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension: observations from a poor-resource setting

“…Additionally, to ensure appropriate care-seeking and treatment adherence, interventions aiming at the improvement of relevant knowledge, awareness and perception of the hypertensive subjects were probably needed. 25 Corroborating with prior findings, 10,13,19,24,[28][29][30] the risk of hypertension (overall and uncontrolled) increased with age among adults in Malda. On the other hand, chances of remaining undiagnosed were relatively less among older hypertensive.…”

A Study on the Pattern of Blood Pressure and Its Co-Relates Among the Patients Attending the Geriatric Clinic of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati

“…This was found to be less compared to the similar studies done in other setting elsewhere. (13), (14), (15), (16) These differences in the result could be attributed to the different study designs and settings adopted in the different studies. And also the fact that in the present study, already diagnosed cases of hypertension have been excluded and only the persons with unknown BP status were considered, which might have resulted in lower prevalence compared to the other studies.…”

“…(17), (13), (16) There is a significant association between High BP and Non-Vegetarian Diet, Alcohol Intake, Smoking and Tobacco Use. These findings are also somewhat similar to the earlier studies done.…”

Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Relationship with Health Complaints in Elderly Iranians: A Multi-Site Community-Based Study

“…A comparison of the prevalence of HTN in Iranian elderly people with that in other Asian countries revealed that the prevalence differs across Asia. Approximately 40% of Indian and Pakistani elderly individuals have HTN (30,31), compared with 62.7% of Vietnamese (32), and 82% of Chinese elderly individuals (33). Although HTN was detected in 36% of Malaysian elderly people, this study included only subjects, who were residents of aged-care homes; therefore this study might have underestimated the true prevalence of HTN in the community (34).…”