Abstract

PASSOS, Valéria Maria de Azeredo; ASSIS, Tiago Duarte  and  BARRETO, Sandhi Maria. Hipertensão arterial no Brasil: estimativa de prevalência a partir de estudos de base populacionalHypertension in Brazil: estimates from population-based prevalence studies. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde [online]. 2006, vol.15, n.1, pp.35-45. ISSN 1679-4974.  http://dx.doi.org/10.5123/S1679-49742006000100003.

Epidemiological studies are important to determine the distribution, determinants and risk factors associated with hypertension and its control in Brazil. This article aims to review the population-based studies of hypertension prevalence among adults in Brazil since 1990, using Medline and LILACS databases. The selected articles were analyzed taking into account the target population, study design, sampling methods, sociodemographic characteristics of the target population, criteria for the definition of hypertension and the statistical analysis performed. In the thirteen studies selected, the prevalence rate of hypertension was approximately 20% among Brazilian adults, not differing by gender, but increasing with age. Most prevalence studies were conducted in the Southern and Southeastern Regions. An increased concern about the methodology and precision of prevalence estimates was observed in this review. There remains, however, a lack of studies about knowledge, treatment and control of hypertension.

Keywords : hypertension; prevalence; population-based studies.

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