COMMUNITY CONTROL OF HYPERTENSION AT WORK-SITE - EPIDEMIOLOGIC DATA OF THE AGUSTA PROJECT

In order to set up a program of community control of hypertension at t he work site, 8811 employees belonging to 12 factories of the same com pany (Agusta SpA, Italy) were screened. Seven hundred and seventy-two subjects (8%) were found to be hypertensive; 48% of them were hypercho lesterolemic, 44% were Smokers, 5% presented with hyperglycemia and 4% had left ventricular hypertrophy. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant correlation between hypertension and age, hypercholeste rolemia, body mass index, occupational exposure to noise exceding 80 d B and, below the age of 40 years, the type of job. Seven hundred and t wenty-nine hypertensives were assigned to pharmacological treatment. T his group of patients will be followed up for 3 years.