Prevalence, awareness, and control of hypertension among Asian Indians living in urban Singapore and rural India

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We compared the epidemiology of hypertension in South Asian Indians living in two geographic regions with vastly different socioeconomic settings (urban Singapore and rural India). METHODS: We analyzed data from two large population-based studies: the Singapore Indian Eye Study (SINDI, na=3228, aged 40-80 years, 49.2% women) and the Central India Eye and Medical Study (CIEMS, na=3591, aged ≥40 years, 52.6% women). Hypertension was defined as SBP at least 140 or DBP at least 90mmHg or self-reported history/treatment for hypertension. RESULTS: The age-adjusted prevalence of hypert..