ECE2019 ePoster Presentations Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (42 abstracts)
National institute of Nutrition, Tunis, Tunisia.
The progression of obesity around the world is largely responsible for the high blood pressure (HBP) most commonly associated with this condition. This morbid association leads to an increase in morbid cardiovascular mortality. The aim of our work was to study the prevalence of hypertension in a group of Tunisian obese people. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Obesity Unit of the Tunis Institute of Nutrition about 100 obese patients who visited between January and March 2018. Medical history taking and a complete clinical examination have been realized for all these patients. The average age was 45.08±13.93 years with a clear female predominance of 88%. The average body mass index was 38.95±5.72 kg/m2. It was class 3 obesity in 44% of cases. Our patients were smokers in 13% of cases and sedentary in 60%. Mean systolic and diastolic arterial pressures were 12.05±1.75 cmHg and 7.40±0.96 cmHg, respectively. The prevalence of HBP was 34%. They were on monotherapy in 33.3%, dual therapy in 56.7% and tritherapy in 10% of cases. We also found high blood pressure figures in unknown hypertensive patients in 10% of cases. The prevalence of HBP in obese patients is increasing exponentially as the prevalence of obesity and cardiovascular disease has increased. Weight reduction and initiation of antihypertensive treatment are the key elements of its management.