Objective:

to determine the prevalence of arterial hypertension in individuals ≥18 years old and its behavior according to sex and age in Colombia.

Data source:

the search was carried out in the PubMed, Lilacs, Ovid, Google Scholar and Scielo databases, and was not restricted by study year. Search strategy: (Hypertension) AND (Colombia) or (Hipertensión Arterial) AND (Colombia) or (Cardiovascular Risk Factors) AND (Colombia).

Study selection:

descriptive population and cross-sectional studies which determined the prevalence of hypertension in the population ≥18 years old were included. With multiple reviewers, 23 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria.

Data extraction:

the quality of the information was verified according to the STROBE declaration and by evaluating the risk of bias in each study.

Data synthesis:

prevalence was determined along with confidence intervals and heterogeneity. The prevalence of hypertension (52,570 individuals) is 24% [95% CI 19-29%; p<0.001]. It is slightly more prevalent in males (29%) [95% CI 23-37%; p<0.001], increases proportionally with age and is less prevalent in urban areas (21%) [95% CI 14-29%; p<0.001]. The tendency changes according to sex-age; it is more prevalent in males at early ages and in females beginning at middle age.

Conclusion:

There is a tendency towards increased prevalence of hypertension in Colombia. There are no major differences between the sexes. Prevalence varies in relation to age, age-sex and geographical area of residence. This is explained by the changing physiological behavior and the socioeconomic level of the population sample included. (Acta Med Colomb 2019; 44. DOI:https://doi.org/10.36104/amc.2019.1293).

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