Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of arterial hypertension in Astana, Kazakhstan. A cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective Very little is known about prevalence of common cardiovascular risk factors in Central Asia. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of arterial hypertension, and factors associated with these indices in a population sample of Astana, the new capital city of Kazakhstan. Design Cross-sectional study of subjects registered in eight outpatient policlinics in Astana. Methods A total of 497 adults (response rate 56%) aged 50–75 years randomly selected from registers of the policlinics were examined. Hypertension was defined as a mean systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure of ≥140/90 mm Hg and/or antihypertensive medication use during the last two weeks. Awareness and treatment were based on self-report. Hypertension control was defined as blood pressure