Hypertension in Brazil: a review of the epidemiological evidence

Population-based studies of hypertension in Brazil were reviewed. Nineteen studies were identified, all employing cross-sectional study designs. The majority of these studies were conducted in the south and southeast regions of the country, although increasing mortality from cardiovascular diseases is now a nationwide problem in Brazil. Except for Amazonian Indians, age and blood pressure were positively correlated in the studies reviewed. Men generally had higher blood pressures than women up to age 50; studies consistently reported that blacks, or groups combining blacks and mulattoes, had higher blood pressures than whites. Methodological problems that characterize many of these studies were noted, and some suggestions for future research were offered.