Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in many countries in the world, including Iran. High blood pressure is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to estimate the deaths from cardiovascular diseases and all cause attributed to high blood pressure in West Azarbaijan province.
Methods: In this study, the required data about the prevalence of hypertension was obtained from a national study on the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension in Iranian adults. The corresponding effect size for death from ischemic heart diseases, stroke and all-cause mortality were obtained from the results of a study on the data of Golestan cohort study. Data on the number of deaths by sex and the cause of death were obtained from the Death Registration System of the West Azerbaijan province.
Results: Cardiovascular disease accounted for 27% of deaths in the 25-64 years age group. The population attributable fractions of hypertension for death from ischemic heart disease, stroke and all cause death for men were 14.4%, 26.1% and 6.4%, respectively. In women they were 18.6%, 32.4% and 8.1%, respectively. The number of deaths attributed to the hypertension for aforementioned causes in men was 46, 30 and 154, respectively. In women they were 29, 28 and 120, respectively.
Conclusion: Blood pressure has a significant contribution in death from cardiovascular diseases, especially stroke. It emphasize on the importance of programs for controlling and preventing hypertension to reduce its associated deaths in the province as one of the priorities of health programs.