Prevalence and risk factors of arterial hypertension among urban Africans in workplace: the obsolete role of body mass index.

BACKGROUND: Studies on the prevalence of hypertension among Africans in workplace did not deal with risk factors of hypertension. Thus there is a need to screen urban central Africans at workplace for environmental risk factors of hypertension. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Kinshasa National Company of Electricity. A representative sample of 333 employees was screened. Tobacco, alcohol use and level of physical activity measures were obtained. Weight, height, BMI, waist, hip, conicity, blood pressure, pulse pressure and pulse rate were measured. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate statistics. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension was 21.3%. Hypertension was associated with aging, higher professional position, eastern origin, migration, alcohol use, wider pulse pressure >60 mmHg, wider waist >90 cm, wider hip >97 cm, obesity, and left ventricle hypertrophy Independent predictors of hypertension were age, wider waist, wider hip, alcohol intake, and left ventricle hypertrophy. In another logistic regression model, only waist >90 cm (OR = 2.5 C1 95% 1.3-4.9; p < 0.01) and age =55 years were identified as significant predictors of hypertension. CONCLUSION: There is a need to stop this high prevalence of hypertension significantly predicted by higher waist and age. BMI is inefficient to predict hypertension.

Prevention of the metabolic syndrome insulin resistance and the atherosclerotic diseases in Africans infected by Helicobacter pylori infection and treated by antibiotics.

AIMS: To report on the association between certain components of the metabolic syndrome/Insulin resistance, gender, cardiovascular diseases and Helicobacter (H.) pylori seropositivity/Infection and the response of these cardiovascular risk factors to Helicobacter pylori titers after an antibiotic course. METHODS: In 205 consecutive Africans referred to the cardiovascular Center of LOMO MEDICAL in Kinshasa for management of their cardiovascular diseases, the proportions of seropositives for H. pylori and H. pylori infection (H. pylori seropositivity and histologically proven H. pylori gastritis) were investigated. The association between traditional cardiovascular risk factors, certain components of the metabolic syndrome and each H. pylori disease group (seropositivity or infection) was evaluated. The response of the cardio-metabolic level to H. pylori antibody titers after an antibiotic course was also evaluated for patients with H. pylori infection. Baseline levels of H. pylori antibody titer and cardio-metabolic parameters were compared with those after the antibiotic treatment. RESULTS: A total of 62.4% of participants were tested positive for the H. pylori antibody. Out of all participants, 25% had H. pylori infection and chronic gastritis without H. pylori. Men were more (p<0.01) H. pylori seropositive than women. Older age, higher triglycerides, higher weight, wider waist girth, higher fibrinogenemia, greater intima-mediathighness and higher rate of hypertension were significantly associated with H. pylori seropositivity. Lower HDL-cholesterol, higher levels of systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, uric acid, fibrinogen, hematocrit, glycemia, arterial hypertension hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia, hyperuricemia (Total), Overweight, overall obesity, abdominal obesity were significantly associated with H. pylori infection. Within the total population, there was a significant dose-response relationship between the rates of arterial hypertension, rate of overweight/overall obesity, and H. pylori antibody titers, respectively. After adjusting for age, and compared with H. pylori-seropositive women, H. pylori-seropositive men showed higher mean values for body weight, waist girth, waist-to-hip ration blood pressure, hematocrit, uric acid, triglycerides and total cholesterol. The levels of uric acid (p<0.05), plasma glucose (p<0.01), total cholesterol (p<0.01), fibrinogen (p<0.01), blood pressure (p<0.05), after 3 weeks antibiotics duration were lower than their baseline levels; weight, waist girth and triglyceride levels did not change (p<0.05) with the antibiotics course. The total population was characterized by lower levels of triglycerides, absence of cases with triglycerides >50 mg/dL. CONCLUSION: This study adds evidence for supporting the association of seropositivity to H. pylori with cardiovascular diseases and elevated number of components of metabolic syndrome. In these Africans with low triglyceride levels, H. pylori infection per se might generate atherosclerosis or metabolic syndrome, particularly in men with H. pylori-seropositive. H. pylori infection might be one of the risk factors of atherosclerosis thorough inflammation (fibrinogen) and modulation of glucose and lipid profiles, which may be prevented by low antibiotics in developing countries.

Prevalence and risk factors of arterial hypertension among urban Africans in workplace: the role of body mass index

Background: Studies on the prevalence of hypertension among Africans in workplace did not deal with risk factors of hypertension. Thus there is a need to screen urban central Africans at workplace for environmental risk factors of hypertension. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Kinshasa National Company of Electricity. A representative sample of 333 employees was screened. Tobacco; alcohol use and level of physical activity measures were obtained. Weight; height; BMI; waist; hip; conicity; blood pressure; pulse pressure and pulse rate were measured. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate statistics. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 21.3. Hypertension was associated with aging; higher professional position; eastern origin; migration; alcohol use; wider pulse pressure 60mmHg; wider waist 90cm; wider hip 97cm; obesity; and left ventricle hypertrophy. Independent predictors of hypertension were age; wider waist; wider hip; alcohol intake; and left ventricle hypertrophy. In another logistic regression model; only waist90 cm (OR=2.5 CI95 1.3-4.9; p0.01) and age

[Prevalence of HIV and HBs antigen in blood donors. Residual risk of contamination in blood recipients in East Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo]. / Prévalence du VIH et de l'antigène HBs chez les donneurs du sang. Risque résiduel de contamination chez les receveurs de sang à Kinshasa-est, Rèpublique Démocratique du Congo.

Between January and August 1999, a total of 7277 blood donors at various health centers in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo were screened for human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV1) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) using the ELISA technique. Findings showed an incidence of 6.4% for HIV1 antibodies, 9.2% for HbsAg, and 1% for HIV1 and HbsAg. Young females (under 39 years of age) from lower socio-economic classes were the most likely to be infected by HIV1. The risk of HIV transmission by transfusion of contaminated blood was 3%, which is close to the incidence of HIV in the general population. The findings of this study document the need to speed up implementation of blood donor screening in the city of Kinshasa and the rest of the country.