Prevalence and risk factors of undetected elevated blood pressure in an elderly Southeast Asian population.

Data on the prevalence of Hypertension (HTN) among elderly Asians is limited. We investigated the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (EBP) and its risk factors in a multiracial Southeast Asian elderly population who participated in the National Kidney Foundation Singapore nationwide screening programme. Among 19,848 subjects > or =65 years (approximately 6% of the total Singapore population), the mean age was 70.6 +/- 5.26 yrs. After excluding 36.6% with known HTN, analysis revealed that 5,889 (46.8%) of the remaining population had previously undetected EBP > 140/90. Increasing age, male gender, BMI > or =23 kg/m2 and pre-existing diabetes were significantly associated with previously undetected EBP on multivariate analysis. 6% of cases with undetected EBP had proteinuria suggestive of longstanding EBP and renal damage. We conclude that there is a high prevalence of undetected EBP in elderly Asians, suggesting the need for increased efforts in screening in the elderly population.