Effects of Salt Intake on Blood Pressure in Banovici Coal Mine Workers

INTRODUCTION: High blood pressure is the cause of almost 13 % of all deaths in the world. DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is “gold standard” in diet recommended by American Society of Hypertension, American Heart Association and Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 for reduction many CV risk factors including hypertension. Non-pharmacological treatment of hypertension through DASH dietary program with reduction of salt intake can significantly reduce high values of blood pressure and decrease general cardiovascular risks. GOAL: The aim of this research is to determine the prevalence of hypertension among miners in Banovici coal mine and amount of salt taken in meals during work time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We inspected the medical documentation and registers for all employees in coal mine Banovici in order to provide calculation of hypertension prevalence. Based on reports and company standards on grocery usage and average amount of salt used in preparation of one meal in coal mine kitchen, we have calculated the average consumption of salt of one employee per meal. RESULTS: There are 2700 of employees in coal mine Banovici with average life age of 46 years. From them 694 (25.7%) miners have arterial hypertension. Also 707023 kg of salt is being spent for preparation of meals in coal mine kitchen on yearly basis. Employees take between 4-9 grams of salt per one meal excluding the salt contained in bread. CONCLUSION: the amount of salt intake per one meal in the coal mine kitchen is larger from daily doses recommended by ACC/AHA.