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Southeast Asia harbors a young population of more than 600 million people. Socioeconomic transition within the last decades, driven by globalization and rapid economic growth, has led to significant changes in lifestyle and nutrition in many countries of this region. Hence, an increase in the number of non-communicable diseases is seen in most populations of Southeast Asia. Brunei Darussalam is the smallest country in this region, with a population of around 400,000 inhabitants. Vast hydrocarbon resources have transformed Brunei into a wealthy industrialized country within the last few decades. We compared the age distribution and prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in ischemic stroke patients between the only stroke unit in Brunei Darussalam and a tertiary stroke center from Frankfurt/Germany. Between 2011 and 2016, a total number of 3877 ischemic stroke patients were treated in both institutions. Even after adjusting for age due to different population demographics, stroke patients in Brunei were younger compared to their German counterparts. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in young age groups in Brunei, whereas no difference was observed for older patients. The rapid socioeconomic transition might be a significant risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases, including stroke.

Objectives: Hypertension is the most important known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Brunei Darussalam to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and its association with socioeconomic and life-style factors and impact on stroke incidence., Methods: Five thousand and sixty-three participants aged above 18 years from 2103 randomly selected households in the Brunei-Muara district of Brunei Darussalam were surveyed. Hypertension was defined as mean SBP at least 140 mmHg, DBP at least 90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medication and blood pressure was measured twice. Logistic regression models are used to analyze the association between hypertension/medication for hypertension and sex, age, overweight, education, smoking, family history of hypertension, and employment., Results: A total of 48.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 46.9-49.7%] of all respondents were identified as hypertensive. Prevalence of hypertension was higher in men (52.8%; 95% CI: 50.7-54.9%) compared to women (45.0%; 95% CI: 43.2-46.8%) and women seek treatment more often than men. Age, overweight, lower levels of education, and a family history of high blood pressure are positively associated with the prevalence of hypertension. The prevalence of overweight (57.3%) and obesity (23.7%) is high and the attributable risk of hypertension for stroke is large., Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension in Brunei is high in both women and men. Information campaigns and prevention programs are needed to be able to cope with the increasing problem of hypertension and resulting diseases like stroke in Brunei in the near future.