Obesity, depression linked to poor blood pressure control in Nigerian elderly

Researchers in Nigeria evaluated how awareness of hypertension influences the control of blood pressure in 1469 elderly adults aged 65 and over.  

973 participants were found to have hypertension, however, close to 80% were unaware of their disease. Overweight or obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25kg/m²) and low socioeconomic status were factors which increased the likelihood of hypertension unawareness by 3 and 8 times, respectively.

Even in participants aware of hypertension and receiving treatment, about 77% had uncontrolled high blood pressure. For this cohort, the findings revealed that in addition to being overweight or obese, major depression within the previous year was significantly linked to poor blood pressure control. Read the full study here.