Prevalence Rate Of Hypertension Among Recent Southeast Asian Refugees To Northern California

Abstract

Background: Little is known regarding the prevalence rate of hypertension among recent Southeast Asian refugees to the United States.

Methods: In this randomized, prospective study, four northern California counties with large Southeast Asian refugee populations were screened for the prevalence rates of hypertension and borderline hypertension. A population density method based upon 1988 census data was used to screen a representative sample of subjects from each county. Criteria for hypertension came from the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

Results: In all, 964 subjects were screened. We found a prevalence rate of 4.8 percent for hypertension and 10.9 percent for borderline hypertension.

Conclusions: The relatively low prevalence rates of this disease can be explained by the youth of this refugee population, mean age 37.6 ± 0.36 years, as the presence of hypertension increases with chronological age.