Clinical hypertension and its interaction with diabetes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Estimated rates from ambulatory care data.

The authors examine the prevalence of clinical hypertension and describe the coexistence with diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. A cross-sectional study of outpatient visits for hypertension and diabetes over a one-year period (October 1, 1986 to September 30, 1987) in Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities was conducted. The 1987 estimated age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed hypertension for this group was 10.9/100 for people > 15 years of age. Thirty-seven percent if diabetic patients were diagnosed with hypertension. The relative risk of hypertension in the diabetic populations compared with the non-diabetic population varied from 4.7 to 7.7. among different IHS areas. Despite the high rates of diabetes and obesity, hypertension rates were relatively low among American Indians and Alaska Natives when compared with other ethnic groups.