Clinical Investigations Trends in Blood Pressure Levels in Turkish Adults: 5-year Follow-up of Original Cohort

Two-thirds of the original cohort representing the Turkish adult population in ı 990 could be traced in the summer of ı995 . Excepting ı ı8 subjects who were known to have died, a total of 2ı32 men and women were examined for blood pressure among other risk factors. Mean value of two readings in sitting position was taken in each survey. From the weighted differences of mean values in various age groups in the initial survey, it w as predicted that aging by 5 years would result in a rise by 4.5/2.2 mmHg of systolic and diastolic pressure, respectively, in women, and by 2.8/1.4 mmHg in men. When these increments were adjusted for aging, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were noted to have remained stable overall in Turkish adults in both genders. Solely, in women aged 50-69 years, the two blood pressure values increased by 4/3 mmHg. Hypertension (defined as a systolic pressure ~ ı40 and/or a diastolic pressure ~ 99 mmHg, or being under antihypertensive medication) was prevalent in 39.3%, of women and 30. ı% of men. The se prevalence figures consisted of 13.6% and 9.8%, respectively, in young adults (ages 25-44) and rose to 84.6% and 68.3%, respectively, in participants aged 65 or over. It was observed that one-third of hypertensive individuals was using antihypertensive drugs, and exactly one-half of them were able to maintain their blood pressure within normal or mildly hypertensive levels. It was deduced that 5.8 million women and 4.4 million men in Turkey were hypertensive.