Prevalence of Pre-hypertension and Risk Factors in an Iranian Population: East of Iran

Pre-hypertension is known as the precursor of hypertension. We could prevent or delay hypertension by controlling pre-hypertension.
In this study, we investigated the prevalence of pre-hypertension and its risk factors in an Iranian population, East of Iran, in 2014.
Patients and This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1280 subjects living in Birjand, East of Iran in 2014. After explaining about the project, a questionnaire containing demographic characteristics and clinical backgrounds was filled out by all subjects. Participants were classified as pre-hypertension (PHTN) if systolic blood pressure was 120 - 139 mmHg or if diastolic blood pressure was 80 - 89 mmHg. Data ere analyzed by chi-square test and multiple logistic regression using SPSS (version 22). P Among 1286 participants, 21.4% had pre-hypertension. Results showed that pre-hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM) and smoking were more prevalent among men than women (P Pre-hypertension was more prevalent among men and obese subjects. Since pre-hypertension progresses to hypertension and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, it needs more attention by public health policy makers to change people’s lifestyle.