engleski

Obesity and Hypertension

From the epidemiological point of view there are two interesting diseases in modern and developed world. One called silent thief: osteoporosis and another called silent killer: hypertension. Obesity can have a favorable effect on osteoporosis but an unfavorable effect on hypertension. There is a close link between high blood pressure and obesity but the cause of this link is not completely explained. It is also well known that obesity predisposes people to hypertension and diabetes. Not only obesity, but also weight distribution is important as a risk factor for hypertension, i.e. upper body or abdominal obesity, so called apple-shaped obesity, is more frequently associated with hypertension than so called pear-shaped or gynecoid obesity. In an epidemiological investigation of risk factors of high blood pressure in Croatia, among 5768 hypertension patients 27.7% were overweight, 31.9% males and 23.6% females. Measurement of weight and height and the calculation of body mass index should be a part of the initial assessment of all patients with high blood pressure. To detect a type of obesity calculation of waist/hip ratio should be performed. The ratio of more than 0.9 is typical for upper body obesity. Weight loss is the first step in treatment of hypertension and in some patients with only slightly elevated blood pressure it can be the only treatment.

obesity; hypertension; Croatia

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