A preliminary survey of un-diagnosed hypertension among Nubians and Coptics in Atbara and Eldamer Cities, Sudan: does ethnicity affect prevalence?

INTRODUCTION Hypertension is a non-communicable disease of increasing importance in developing countries. Due to its silent nature and serious complications, active screening is essential in case detection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and to find out whether there are ethnic variations in prevalence between two Sudanese ethnicities. METHODS This is a cross-sectional community-based study in which 100 subjects from Nuba tribe and 70 Coptics not previously known to have hypertension volunteered to participate. Blood pressure was measured and a questionnaire delineating demographic, clinical and social data was obtained from each participant. RESULTS Female to male ratio was 2:1. The mean age was 39.5 ± 8 years for Nubians and 40.5 ± 5.5 years for Coptics. High blood pressure was detected in 48% of Nubians and 24.3% of Coptics (p>0.001). The prevalence of stage II hypertension was higher in Nubians compared to Coptics (25% vs. 3.8%; p<0.001). Besides the ethnic variation, other significant differences between the two groups were illiteracy and alcohol consumption, both of which were significantly commoner among Nubians. CONCLUSION Undiagnosed high blood pressure is common in our local community, with some variations in prevalence and severity among different ethnic groups. Key words: Coptics; Nubians; River Nile State; Sudan; Undiagnosed hypertension.