Tribal differences in hypertension and cholesterol profiles in Aceh, Indonesia

One of the factors that contributes to coronary heart disease and stroke is high blood pressure, or hypertension. Hypertension is influenced by race and sex. The objective of this study was to assess the hypertensive population in Aceh by tribal community and to examine the relationship between cholesterol history and hypertension.

This study used incidental sampling as a non-probability sampling method, in which 152 participants were evaluated for the profile of hypertension with a history of cholesterol. Blood pressure was measured using a blood pressure measuring device. HDL, LDL, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels were measured using LIPID Pro. Data analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests with p < 0.05.

The study population (N = 152) consisted of 81 males (53%) and 71 females (47%) across the ethnicities of Aceh (64:42%), Gayo (19:13%), Alas (33:22%), and Aneuk Jamee (36:24%). In the male group, hypertension was associated with total cholesterol (r = 0.03; p = 0.78), HDL (r = 0.20; p = 0.07), and LDL (r = 0.21; p = 0.07) levels, whereas in the female group, hypertension was primarily correlated with LDL levels (r = 0.20; p = 0.09).

In general, hypertension in males and females in the four tribes in Aceh is associated with HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol levels.