Prevalence, awareness, and control of systemic arterial hypertension in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Objective: To report the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, particularly of systemic arterial hypertension, in the adult population of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, in addition to the public's level of awareness, hypertensive control, and associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional, population-based study with random sampling from a population pool was carried out with 918 patients older than 20 years from 1999 to 2000. Systemic arterial hypertension was defined as blood pressure > or = 140/90 or current use of antihypertensive drugs.