Trends in prevalence of hypertension in Brazil: a systematic review with meta-analysis

The prevalence of hypertension in emerging nations was scarcely described to date. In Brazil, many population-based surveys evaluated the prevalence in cities throughout the country. However, there is no population-based nationwide study of prevalence of hypertension. In this study, we estimated the prevalence of hypertension for the country and analyzed the trends for the last three decades. Cross-sectional and cohort studies conducted from 1980 to 2010 were independently identified by two reviewers, without language restriction, in the PubMed, Embase, LILACS, and Scielo electronic databases. Unpublished studies were identified in the Brazilian electronic database of theses and in annals of Cardiology congresses and meetings. In total, 40 studies were selected, comprising 122,018 individuals. Summary estimates of prevalence by the former WHO criteria (BP≥160/95 mmHg) in the 1980's and 1990's were 23.6% (95% CI 17.3-31.4%) and 19.6% (16.4-23.3%) respectively. The prevalence of hypertension by the JNC criteria (BP≥140/90 mmHg) in the 1980's, 1990's and 2000's were 36.1% (95% CI 28.7-44.2%), 32.9% (29.9-36.0%), and 28.7% (26.2-31.4%), respectively (P