Invited review
Epidemiology and risk of hypertension

Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular (CV) disorder, affecting 20-50% of the adult population in developed countries. Prevalence of hypertension increases with age, rising steeply after the age of 50, and affecting more than 50% of this population. Females generally have lower BP values except those aged ł60 years, whose systolic BP tends to be higher than in males. Findings from the WHO MONItoring Trends and Determinants in CArdiovascular Diseases (MONICA) Project showed a remarkably higher prevalence of hypertension in Eastern Europe, and virtually no difference in the rates of controlled hypertension among Eastern and Western populations. Over the past one to two decades, the prevalence has remained stable or decreased in developed countries, and has increased in developing countries. Awareness and treatment of hypertension has increased in most developed countries but hypertension is poorly controlled worldwide, with less than 25% controlled in developed countries, and less than 10% in developing countries.