Prevalence of Clinical Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension: A Gender and Age Based Comparison

Objective: To compare the prevalence of clinical signs and symptoms of hypertension among different gender and age based groups of hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 372 patients aged 18 or above with self-reported history of hypertension and on anti-hypertensive medication. It was a multicenter study performed in urban health center and Myanmar health center for duration of 6 months from June 2017 till November 2017. Hypertension associated signs and symptoms were evaluated with the help of a questionnaire and clinical examination. Blood pressure was measured using sphygmomanometer with stethoscope. Results: A higher percentage of males were smokers (18.2% vs. 1.4%) and gave a positive history of chest pain (49.3% vs. 38.2%), though a higher percentage of females gave a positive history of vision problems (57.0% vs. 49.3%), fatigue (74.8% vs. 70.3%) and confusion (66.7% vs. 60.6%). Moreover, a higher percentage of ≤40 years old patients gave a positive history of headache (80.7% vs. 69.4%) though a higher percentage of >40 years old patients were smokers (12.0% vs. 4.7%), gave a positive history of vertigo (59.3% vs. 47.7%), chest pain (49.3% vs. 32.2%), vision problems (57.4% vs. 44.2%), dyspnea (57.4% vs. 43.8%), increase in urinary frequency (45.5% vs. 30.6%), nausea (25.4% vs. 20.5%), sleep apnea (38.6% vs. 20.5%), irregular heartbeat/palpitation (39.9% vs. 33.0%), fatigue (74.8% vs. 67.0%) and confusion (68.6% vs. 52.3%). Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking, chest pain, vision problems, fatigue and confusion were found to be different between both genders. Furthermore, the prevalence of smoking, headache, vertigo, chest pain, vision problems, dyspnea, increased urinary frequency, nausea, sleep apnea, irregular heartbeat/palpitation, fatigue and confusion were found to be different between both age groups. Key words: Prevalence; Signs and Symptoms; Hypertension; Gender; Ag