Frequency of High Blood Pressure in Apparently Healthy People Referring to the Clinics and Health Monitoring Centers of Amiral Momenin and Farhikhtegan Hospitals in 2023

Introduction: Hypertension is mostly asymptomatic, and this poses a significant challenge in its treatment. Some scientific associations have recently reduced the threshold of high blood pressure from 140.90 to 130.80. The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of hypertension in apparently healthy individuals referring to clinics and health monitoring centers of Amiralmomenin and Farhikhtegan hospitals in 2023 based on two old and new criteria and to examine its relationship with some socioeconomic factors. Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study focused on statistical population included apparently healthy individuals with no history of hypertension who were referred to specialized clinics and monitoring centers of two hospitals between March 2022 and March 2023. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software. Results: In this study, the frequency of high blood pressure based on the higher threshold was 28.3%, with 63.53% of these individuals recognizing their high blood pressure for the first time. By reducing the high blood pressure frequency threshold in our sample, it reached 48.76%, with 75.55 being aware of their high blood pressure for the first time. High blood pressure was significantly related to individuals’ income, housing, and educational status. Conclusion: Considering all the criteria, the prevalence of blood pressure among the apparently healthy population is significant, and the awareness among individuals is minimal; additionally, evidence of its relationship with some socio-economic factors was also found.