Prevalence of arterial hypertension in the work place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Background. - Arterial hypertension (AHT) is a major cardiovascular risk factor in the occurrence of stroke, heart failure, renal insufficiency and coronary heart disease, which are the leading causes of death worldwide. Insufficient data on high blood pressure in the workplace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, led us to carry out an analytical cross-sectional study in November 2015. Objective. -The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and determinants of hypertension among employees of the Multimodal Freight Management Office of the City of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Methodology. - Analytical cross-sectional study of 210 workers, 119 (56.7%) men and 91 (43.3%) women, randomly selected. PA was measured, after 5 min of sitting relaxation, on the left arm at the heart with a mercury sphygmomanometer. Three consecutive measures atone-minute interval were taken and their mean defines the worker's PA. SBP and DBP corresponded to Korotkoffl and V sounds, respectively. AHT was defined as BP >= 140/90 mm Hg or history of antihypertensive therapy regardless of BP levels. Logistic regression was used to identify the independent determinants of hypertension. P < 0.05 defined the level of statistical significance. Results. -The overall prevalence of hypertension was 41.9% with 45.4% men and 37.4% women afflicted (P < 0.153). The likelihood of having hypertension was 5 [aOR = 5,327 95% CI (1,298-21,862), P=0,020)] and 3 [aOR = 3,44 95% CI (1,432-8.28), P= 0.007)] times greater among obese workers and those with central obesity. Conclusion. - Hypertension is a common finding in the present case series and obesity emerged as its main associated risk factor. The present study highlights the need for a comprehensive program targeting prevention and care of high blood pressure in the workplace. (C) 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.