Age variation in blood pressure: effect of sex and urbanization in a genetically homogeneous caste population of Andhra Pradesh.

Age variation in blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension were studied in relation to sex and urbanization in a caste population of southern Andhra Pradesh living in rural, semi-urban, and urban locales. There is an increase in mean blood pressure from rural to semi-urban areas, and a slight but insignificant decline in urban men. Sex differences in mean blood pressure are significant only in the urban and semi-urban environments. However, the increase in blood pressure with age is sharper in women than in men, and age effects are more perceptible in the urban setting compared to the other two environments. Similarly, age influences SBP more strongly than DBP. The prevalence of hypertension is greater in urban than in rural areas, at older ages (> or = 45 years), and in men compared to women. Results of multiple logistic regression suggest that urban residence and alcohol consumption are associated with increased risk of hypertension in men. Higher risk for hypertension in women is more significantly associated with older age (> or = 45) and obesity (BMI > 25). The results indicate that blood pressure and hypertension are more strongly correlated with the indices of modernization and associated lifestyle patterns in men than in women. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.