[Background: The year 2011 saw the continuation of Hungary’s greatest and to date most comprehensive health screening programme started in 2010. The aim of the screening programme established according to the directives of the European Union with the cooperation of more than forty professional organisations is the preservation of the health of the population, the prevention of illnesses and the improvement of the general health status. The programme contributes to the prevention of coronary diseases by passing on knowledge concerning healthy nutrition and guidelines to help the establishment of a health-conscious lifestyle.
Partecipants and methods: In the Comprehensive Health Tests Programme of Hungary, the examinations, among them coronary examinations covering the fields of cardiology and hypertension, take place in a specially furnished lorry. The results of the examinations of the people who have presented themselves for the tests (n=19,814) have been evaluated. In the Comprehensive Health Tests Programme of Hungary a total of 10,444 (52.7%) women and 9,370 (47.3%) men were tested at 332 locations. Although the tests were free for all adults, predominantly persons between the ages of 26 and 55 presented themselves. The average age of women was 42 years and that of the men was 40 years.
Results: Upon data processing with the help of a query, 28% of the participants reported suffering from hypertension disease. Measurement of the blood pressure was carried out in each case with validated equipment and by qualified medical staff.
Based on the data, it can be observed that while among men hypertension tends to occur in larger numbers at a younger age, the tendency is reversed at ages above 45 years, where hypertension is more frequent among women. Among women, the state of normotonia was most frequent up to the age of 45 and stage 1 hypertension became most frequent from the age of 46 onwards. It must be noted, however, that stage 3 hypertension was already present in 1.7% of women of 26 years of age, and the frequency of this category increased to 6% from the age of 46 onwards.
The average systolic blood pressure measured among men exceeded the upper limit of the normal range for all age groups. The average systolic blood pressure measured among women was in the normal range up to the age of 55 years and only moved to the pathological range from the age of 56 onwards. The diastolic blood pressure levels were in the normal range for both sexes (with the exception of the age group 46-55 of the men, where it exceeded the upper limit of the normal range by a minimal extent). Among the men, stage 1 hypertension was the most frequent status for all age groups; blood pressures above 140/90 were measured for 39% of the subjects from the age of 18 onwards. The distribution of this did not vary significantly with the increase of age. It must be mentioned here too, that stage 3 hypertension became more frequent with age, and that it was observed in more than 11% of the patients above 56 years of age. The correlation between abdominal circumference, total cholesterol, blood sugar level and the measured blood pressure values was unambiguously ascertainable. In case of simultaneous presence of diabetes and hypertension (women, n=344 and men, n=303), blood pressures above 140/90Hgmm were 2-3 times more frequent for both sexes than without the presence of diabetes.
Discussion: Thanks to the vast information obtained through the programme, a comprehensive picture has been drawn up about Hungary’s present health status not only on a regional or cross sectional level, but as it was described in the programme, too. ]
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