[Prevalence of hypertension in El-Menia oasis, Algeria, and metabolic characteristics in population].

Introduction: El-Menia is an oasis located in the middle of Algerian Sahara. The drinking water in this oasis has low sodium content. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of hypertension, to describe the metabolic characteristics of population study and to assess the factors associated with blood pressure levels.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in 2010. Subjects (n=722) were selected from individuals aged 40 years or older by random cluster sampling. Blood pressure measurements, combined with a clinical questionnaire, and standard blood samples for the detection of dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus, were collected.

Results: Sixty-seven percent of subjects were females and 18% were black. The mean age was 58.5 ± 13.2 years. The prevalence of hypertension was 50.2%: 49.7% in females and 51.3% in males. The factors associated with presence of hypertension following a logistic multivariate regression were age, skin colour, waist circumference, and plasma glucose. The treatment and control of hypertension were 41% and 20% respectively.

Conclusions: The prevalence oh hypertension was high in this oasis and the rate of treatment control was low. Our findings suggest that appropriate healthcare should be given to hypertensive subjects, including a better information on hypertension.