EPIDEMIOLOGIC PROFILE OF HYPERTENSIVE DISEASE AND RENAL RISK-FACTORS IN BLACK-AFRICA

Objective: To describe the characteristics and renal function of hyper tensive patients at their first hospital admission in Sub-Saharan Afri ca. Design: Retrospective study of all hypertensive patients. Setting: Department of Cardiology and Internal Medicine of Yalgado Ouedraogo N ational Hospital in Burkina Faso, a country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Pat ients: Th ree hundred and seventeen consecutive hypertensive patients (systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 160 mmHg or diastoli c blood pressure greater than or equal to 90 mmHg, or both, or patient s receiving antihypertensive treatment) referred between 1 November 19 88 and 31 October 1990. Results: The hypertensive patients accounted f or 36.5% of admissions and included 198 males and 119 females (mean+/- SD age 49+/-14 years). Two-thirds of the patients belonged to the poor er socio-economic groups. Hospital admission was necessary because of the symptoms and complications of hypertension: 43% had diastolic bloo d pressure >130 mmHg, 73.5% had at least one target organ affected and 38.2% had renal involvement in the form of chronic renal failure or a s proteinuria >1.5 g/24 h. Patients with renal involvement were younge r and had blood pressure that responded less well to acute treatment. One-fifth of the patients died during their hospital stay, and most of these had impaired renal function.