Hypertension in Rural Niger Delta of Nigeria: Frequency and Correlates

Background And Aim: Hypertension remains a major cardiovascular disease globally and in particular sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria. The challenge of control is the continuous monitoring of prevalence, risk factors and institution of primary prevention measures and adequate treatment programmes. This study reports the frequency of hypertension and its correlates in a rural adult population. Methods: A descriptive survey of adult population of a rural farming community, Umuobiri Odufor Etche in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, for hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors. Data was analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Results: A total of three hundred adults aged 18 to 100 years were screened during the study. The mean age was 40.55±17.30 years, mean body mass index BMI was 21.0± 4.06 Kg/m, mean systolic blood pressure was 120.02±15.99 mmHg and mean diastolic blood pressure was 71.74±11.18 mmHg. Fifty or 16.7% of all the adults surveyed had hypertension, 5% were obese and 12.3% were overweight.There were 160 females (53.7%) and 140 males (46.3%) with mean ages 43.8±16.8 years and 36.8±17.1 years, respectively. Mean total cholesterol was 4.2±0.7 mmols/L in males and 4.4±0.7 mmols/L in females, while mean fasting blood sugar was 4.9±0.8 mmols/L and 4.8±1.0 mmols/L in males and females, respectively. Conclusion: The frequency of hypertension in this rural community in the Nigeria’s Niger Delta is high, so also are the frequency of other cardiovascular disease risk factors, especially tobacco use.