Prevalence of obesity among hypertensive patients in Primary Care Clinic, Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2017–2018: A prospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Saudi Arabians suffer from overweight and obesity which contribute significantly to the poor control of hypertension (HTN). AIM: To compare the percentage of HTN between obese and nonobese hypertensive patients who visit Primary Care Center in Security Forces Hospital (SFH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between (December-February) 2017–2018 and to calculate and compare the percentage of a number of antihypertensive medication usage in groups with different body mass index (BMI). METHODS: This study was a prospective cross-sectional study which included all hypertensive patients on medication or patients with (BP >140/90) who attended the Primary Care Center in Security Forces Hospital (SFH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between (December-February) 2017–2018. Data were extracted from the computerized medical records database at the hospital. According to the practice followed at the hospital, the diagnosis of obesity was achieved based on a calculation of body mass ≥30. RESULTS: About 56.1% of participants were females and 43.9% were males, the most prevalent age group of obese students (55.2%) was above 55 years. We also found that 2.1% of students were normal in weight whereas 1.3% of patients were underweight. A significant correlation with weight (89.02 ± 19.765) and BMI (34.742 ± 6.3818) was also noted (P value <0.001). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that most of the HTN patients in the SFH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, suffer from overweight and obesity that could contribute significantly to the incidence of HTN.