Prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among Tibetans in Changdu，Tibet

Abstract:

Objective：To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension among Tibetans in Changdu，Tibet. Methods：This study included 1253 Tibetans who underwent physical examination in The Changdu People’s Hospital of Tibet from January 2016 to October 2017. Data were collected from questionnaire survey，physical examination，and biochemical examination. The rank sum test，chi-square test，and logistic regression analysis were performed using SPSS 22.0 to analyze the prevalence and risk factors of hyper－tension. Results：The prevalence of hypertension in the survey population was 49.8%，and it was not significantly different between males and females（51.2% vs. 48.5%， χ2=0.967，P=0.326）. However，in the age group over 60 years，the prevalence was significantly higher in males than in females（χ2=8.438，P=0.004）. Additionally，the prevalence of hypertension in patients with diabetes mellitus was significantly higher than that in non-diabetics（χ2=28.146，P=0.000）. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the in－dependent risk factors for hypertension included advanced age（OR=1.072，95%CI＝1.059 to 1.086，P=0.000），high altitude（OR=1.463，95%CI=1.018 to 2.102，P=0.040），high body mass index（OR=1.526，95%CI=1.288 to 1.809，P=0.000），diabetes mellitus（OR=1.492，95%CI=1.121 to 1.986，P=0.006），increased heart rate（OR=1.010，95%CI=1.000 to 1.021，P=0.045），and elevated triglyc－erides（OR=1.642，95%CI=1.259 to 2.142，P=0.000）. Conclusion：The Tibetan population in Changdu，Tibet has a high prevalence of hypertension，which is closely related to their living environment. Therefore，it is necessary to strengthen health education on the prevention and treatment of hypertension，improve related med－ical knowledge，and focus on interventions among the relevant population，so as to improve their quality of life.