Prevalence of risk factors for arterial hypertension among draft age youth

Abstract

Background. The currently observed diseases of the circulatory system getting younger, the increase in the incidence of arterial hypertension (AH) and the high mortality rate of men of working age in Russia are elements of one of the main medical and social problems. The identification of risk factors (RF) for the development of hypertension in young patients and the identification of the groups with the highest risk of cardiovascular events in their future adult life is aimed at preventing hypertension, early treatment initiation, increasing life expectancy and reducing mortality. Aim. To study the prevalence of the main modifiable RF associated with arterial hypertension among draft age youth. Materials and methods. The identification of RF, their qualitative, quantitative description, assessment and comparative analysis among men with normal and high blood pressure (BP) of varying degrees. Results. In the control group without hypertension, 37.1% of the subjects did not have any RF; 48.6% of the surveyed each had one RF; 14.3% were persons with two RFs. There were no people identified with three or more RFs. In the study group with AH, 27.0% of patients did not have any RF; 37.4% of patients had one RF; 22.6% of patients with two RFs; 9.5% of patients with three RFs and 2.6% of patients had four RFs. The occurrence of each RF in the control group without hypertension and in the study group with hypertension as a whole is presented as follows respectively: overweight/obesity 37.1 and 59.1%; smoking 34.3 and 38.3%; alcohol abuse 0 and 2.6%; physical inactivity 8.4 and 12.2%; hypercholesterolemia 2.9 and 20.9%; hypertriglyceridemia 5.7 and 16.5%; hyperglycemia 5.7 and 5.2%. Conclusion. RF is widespread in young men, regardless of BP level. More than 60% of draft age youth without hypertension have at least one RF. Among all modifiable RFs, the highest frequency of occurrence is associated with increased weight and smoking. Overweight or obesity is always found in individuals with two or more RFs. Among men with hypertension, people with obesity, low physical activity and impaired lipid metabolism are more common than among men without hypertension. Risk assessment in draft age youth presents certain difficulties. Identification and assessment of risk factors will make it possible to develop an individual program for their modification, prevention of the development of hypertension and detection of the disease in the early stages.