Prevalence of and risk factors for hypertension among urban communities of North Sudan: Detecting a silent killer

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a common global health problem in many countries including Sudan. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for high blood pressure (BP) in River Nile State (RNS), Sudan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted by a house-to-house survey; all consented adults from the main four cities, Atbara, Shendi, Ed Damer, and Berber, were interviewed using standardized pretested questionnaire to record medical history, sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. BP was measured using the standardized technique. Body mass index, waist circumference, and blood glucose were also determined. RESULTS: A total of 954 individuals were included in the study. The mean age was 39.5 ± 16.6 years and 54.3% were females. The prevalence of hypertension was 35.7% and the newly diagnosed cases were 22.4%. Increasing age, low educational level, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and central obesity were found to be risk factors for hypertension. CONCLUSION: Hypertension is diagnosed in more than one-third of the population living in urban communities of RNS and correlates well with features of the metabolic syndrome.