Blood Pressure Profile of Young Adults at the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia

BACKGROUND: hypertension remains a global burden. Complications of unrecognized hypertension might increase mortality as shown by a WHO 2013 report that hypertension caused 9.4 million deaths worldwide. There is no prior data in Indonesia on blood pressure status in young adults with similar education levels. Medical students are at high risk of developing early hypertension due to modern lifestyle habits. This study aimed to determine the blood pressure profile of medical students as representative of the young adult population. METHODS: we measured the prevalence of hypertension in medical students. All medical students who agreed to participate completed a questionnaire. Afterwards, we conducted a physical examination and obtained blood and urine samples to screen for blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and the lipid profile. RESULTS: the prevalence of students with prehypertension or hypertension was 29.6%. The mean eGFR was 105.45 ml/min/m2. The mean total cholesterol was within normal limits. CONCLUSION: the prevalence of hypertension in medical students was high. This study shows that early detection of hypertension is key to treating it early and therefore to reducing morbidity and mortality.