Prevalence of hypertension in semi-skilled manual workers

This study demonstrates a high prevalence of hypertension (43,9%) in a population of unskilled manual workers. No differences were detected in the prevalence rates for two ethnic groups. The importance of age standardization for comparison of data with other studies of an age-linked phenomenon such as hypertension is stressed. Blood pressure was higher in workers who had worked their daily shift than in those who had not worked a shift. These findings might be explained by means of an hypothesis linking stress at work with hypertension. The literature relevant to this hypothesis is outlined.