Comparison of Hypertension in Migrant and Local Patients with Atherosclerotic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND: Hypertension and its complications represent major health problems worldwide and are distributed differently in different populations. This study aimed to reveal the differences between two populations of patients with hypertension who had atherosclerotic complications: local residents in and migrants to the city of Shanghai, China. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among hospitalized patients with hypertension age 21–65 years in Pudong District. We compared the characteristics of local and migrant patients with hypertension, and analyzed the distribution and risk factors of atherosclerotic complications between these groups. RESULTS: The proportion of young and uninsured patients with hypertension was higher among migrant than local participants. The rates of stroke (15.4% vs. 25.0%, p < 0.05) and coronary heart disease (8.6% vs. 11.7%, p < 0.05) were lower and the rates of other atherosclerotic diseases higher (8.5% vs. 7.9%, p = 0.429) among migrant than local participants. According to logistic regression analysis, age was an important risk factor in both the migrant and local groups for all three atherosclerotic complications investigated. Insurance, diabetes, and frequency of hospitalization could influence the incidence of atherosclerotic complications among local patients with hypertension. Among migrant patients, differences for sex, insurance, marital status, diabetes history, and frequency of hospitalization were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated differences in the characteristics, distribution, and risk factors of atherosclerotic complications among migrant and local patients with hypertension. Greater attention in needed for the increasing population of migrants.