[Contributions to the knowledge of clinical and epidemiological features of essential arterial hypertension in Moldavia, Romania]

Multi-factorial etiology of essential arterial hypertension (EAHT) can benefit of new data by studies which allow a better knowledge of risk factors and their involvement in the disease pathogenesis. Increase in the prevalence values of EAHT and, as a consequence, of its grave complications, represents the major objectives of prevention programmes.Authors present a clinical epidemiological study on a sample of 932 patients, 441 men and 491 women, aged from 18 to over 65; 876 from urban area and 56 from rural.Familial antecedents with risk for AHT were assessed: EAHT (36.7%), ischemic cardiopathy (13.3%), myocardial infarct (13.7%), stroke (15%), diabetes mellitus (13.2%), obesity (27.5%), and dyslipidemia (31.8%), as well as body mass index (BMI)--34.9% overweight persons and 32.9% suffering from obesity; repartition on blood groups, behaviour type (A--67.8%), sedentary lifestyle (35.8%), stress (extra-familial--32.1%), active tobacco smoking (52.1%), excess coffee (3 cup daily--35.7%), alcohol (10.1%) and salt (31.0%) consumption. Paraclinical investigations included: blood pressure measurement, ECG, and echocardiography. Laboratory results showed hyperglycemia in 17.8% of cases, hypercholesterolemia--70.0% (hypo-HDL--54.3%, hyper-LDL--63.0%), and hypertriglyceridemia in 70.7%.