The prevalence of hypertension is high in middle age urban populations in north-central Nigeria and driven by age and obesity, experts have said.
In a new study, researchers put the prevalence of hypertension in the region at 30 per cent and linked the disease to age, obesity and a large waistline.
The study, which looked at 1,506 adults in eight urban communities in Kwara State, indicated predictors of hypertension as waist circumference, body mass index, and age.
They had measured blood pressure, anthropometric parameters (body mass index, waist circumference and hip circumference, and waist-hip ratio) and blood sugar by standard methods.
The researchers said that the incidence of hypertension is high in middle age urban populations in North-Central Nigeria, driven by age, and marked by obesity. It was in the June 2019 edition of the Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.
According to them, a reduction in weight may enhance prevention of hypertension in these populations.
Hypertension is a growing public health concern, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a leading cause of chronic kidney disease, heart failure and stroke in Nigeria.
However, before now, little was known about its current burden and determinants in the northern region of Nigeria.