Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in the Brazilian population: National Health Survey

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Arterial Hypertension (AH) is the main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and more recent studies that estimated the prevalence of this condition considering aspects such as awareness of diagnosis, treatment, and control, revealing alarming results in the global scenario. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in the Brazilian adult population and the sociodemographic factors associated with these outcomes. Methodology: Cross-sectional population-based study with data from the National Health Survey. Outcomes were defined based on blood pressure measurements, self-reported diagnosis of AH and use of antihypertensive medication. We estimated the prevalence of the outcomes and the associations were subsequently tested by calculating prevalence ratios using Poisson regression. Results: The prevalence of AH in the Brazilian population was 32.3%. Approximately 60.8% were aware of the diagnosis, 90.6% were taking drug treatment and, of these, 54.4% had controlled AH. Female gender and older age were associated with greater awareness, treatment and control. Other factors such as having a partner, health insurance, living in the urban area, race/color and schooling were also associated with outcomes. Conclusion: Awareness and control of AH in Brazil can still improve in view of the SUS health programs. The differences found reflect socioeconomic inequalities and reveal groups with lower performance.