AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE PREVALENCE AND DETERMINANTS OF SYSTEMIC HYPERTENSION AND BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE AMONG MUTHUVAN TRIBAL POPULATION, POOPPARA VILLAGE, PARAMBIKULAM

Hypertension is an important independent predictor of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular accidents and death. JNC7 defines hypertension as blood pressure 140-90 mmHg. A methodological study was conducted to determine the prevalence and determinants of systemic hypertension among the members of Muthuvan tribal population in Poppara village, Parambikulam. 53 adults above the age of 18yrs participated in the study out of the total 115 adults in the community (response rate 46percentage). Blood pressure, anthropometry, RBS, uric acid,renal parameters and lipids were measured. The prevalence of hypertension was 71.6percentage. Among males the prevalence of hypertension was 58.6percentage while in females it was 87.5percentage. In the studied male population 10percentage were normotensives, 31percentage were prehypertensives and the rest 58.6percentage were hypertensives (27.6percentage stage 1 hypertensives and 31percentage stage 2 hypertensives). . But in females nobody came under normotensive group, 12.5 percentagewere prehypertensives and the rest 87.5percentage were hypertensives (33.33percentage stage 1 hypertensives and 54.16percentage stage 2 hypertensives). All the male subjects above the age of 30yrs were hypertensives. In age group between 31-45yrs 12.5 percentage females were prehypertensives and the rest 87.5percentage were hypertensives. All the female subjects above the age of 45yrs were hypertensives in the study group. There was a very low prevalence of overweight (7.5percentage), central obesity (30.2percentage), high Cholesterol level (19percentage), high LDL level (17percentage), high creatinine level (15percentage), high uric acid level (17percentage), and high RBS value (6.5percentage) in the studied population. But in the presence of all the above positive factors a very high prevalence of systemic hypertension is exist in this tribal community. Statistically no significant relationship could be made out between systemic hypertension and life style factors, anthropometric parameters, or various biochemical parameters. There may be some genetic factors which may play a pivotal role in the high prevalence of systemic hypertension in this tribal community which needs further detailed studies to unveil them