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Background: Hypertension (HTN) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in India. HTN prevalence data are predominantly available for urban and rural populations in India but not in the mushrooming suburban areas. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of HTN and associated risk factors in suburban Tamil Nadu. Methods: In this Kovai Medical Center Hospital Non-Communicable Disease Study, we enrolled adults >20 years of age residing at Thadagam (suburban) in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India. All participants had a detailed questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Blood samples were taken for glycosylated hemoglobin, nonfasting lipid profile, and serum creatinine. Prevalence of HTN (self-reported cases of HTN or systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg and or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg) was estimated. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing HTN. Results: A total of 1030 participants were involved in this study. The prevalence of HTN was 47.1% in this area, with similar prevalence in both genders. The ratio of known HTN to newly diagnosed HTN was 1:1.3. Nearly 5% of adults between 20 and 39 years had HTN in this cohort. On multivariate logistic regression, after adjustment for age and sex, HTN was significantly associated with diabetes and atherosclerosis. Conclusions: This study identified a high prevalence of HTN in suburban region of Tamil Nadu. Aggressive screening protocols and targeted treatment are the need of the hour to reduce the burden of HTN and cardiovascular diseases in suburban India.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the distribution and comparison of carotid intima thickness in two completely different demographics in South India. Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from 865 participants in rural Nallampatti and 1081 participants from urban Kalapatti in the state of Tamil Nadu. Local ethics committee approval and written and informed consent were obtained from all participants. Carotid intima thickness was measured on all participants using high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. Atherosclerosis was defined as a carotid intima-media thickness of ≥1 mm. Results: The prevalence of atherosclerosis was 10.3% in rural Nallampatti compared to 7.8% in urban Kalapatti. On binary logistic regression analysis, diabetes and hypertension were associated with atherosclerosis in rural areas, but this significance disappeared after adjustment for confounding factors. In urban areas, diabetes appeared to be significantly associated with atherosclerosis even after adjustment for confounding factors. Conclusion: Our data suggest a surprisingly increased prevalence of atherosclerosis in a rural farming population even though traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis such as diabetes and hypertension did not show a significant association after adjustment for confounding factors. If confirmed, this provides a rationale to do large-scale studies to explore the role of nontraditional risk factors in rural India that could have an impact on atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.