PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND ITS TREATMENT IN A POPULATION OF 26374SALARIED ADULTS

The control of hypertension requires large scale epidermiological stud ies to determine the prevalence of the disease and to evaluate the res ults of therapeutic intervention. This study was based on the examinat ion of 26 374 salaried adult patients during a 12 months period in the Tarn-et-Garonne Regional Industrial Medecine Service. The results of this study showed: 1) the prevalence of hypertension defined as > 165/ 95 mmHg was 5.9 %; 2) of the 1 552 hypertensive subjects, 84 % had bee n diagnosed previously and 74 % were under treatment of which 71 % wer e controlled. In other terms, only 44 % of hypertensive subjects had n ormal blood pressures; 3) there was a male predominance up to the age of 55 and then the hypertensive patients tended to be women. Paradoxic ally, men were less treated and less well controlled, especially the y oung men; 4) from the therapeutic point of view, 80 % of hypertensive patients were treated by monotherapy, whether the hypertension was con trolled or not, which would seem to be inadequate.