LAUSR

Objective: Identify risk factors for new cases of hypertension according to a 10-year prospective study of the organized population of the petrochemical industry workers in Belarus. Design and method: New cases of hypertension were revealed according to a 10-year prospective study in 2004/2014 in the organized population of 1,431 workers of petrochemical industry. In 2004 871 subjects with normal blood pressure were divided into two groups. The first group included 260 workers without adverse working factors, the second group included 611 workers with adverse working factors. The survey included standard questionnaires for detection of cardiovascular risk factors, anthropometric measurements, data from instrumental and laboratory examination. Results: According to a 10-year prospective study, a high incidence of hypertension in the studied population was established (37.5%: 31.5% in persons without adverse working factors and 40.1% in persons with adverse working factors) (p < 0.05). A significant positive relationship was found between the incidence of hypertension and work in harmful working conditions (p < 0.05), the strongest connection of which had psycho-physiological factors of labor intensity (p < 0.01). There was revealed significant positive association between the amount of ECG peaks SV1+RV5–V6 (>24 mm) and the frequency of new cases of hypertension adjusted for age, sex and factor of working conditions (df = 1; x2Wald = 33,0; p < 0,001). There were identified other significant factors affecting new cases of hypertension after adjusting for age, sex and factor of working conditions: systolic (p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), heredity (p < 0.01), absence of higher education (p < 0.001), smoking in the past and present (p < 0.001), alcohol abuse (p < 0.001), low physical activity (p < 0.001), body mass index (p < 0,001), level of salt taste threshold (p < 0,001), level of triglycerides (p < 0,01), glucose (p < 0,001) and GFR (p < 0,001) according to multifactorial regression analysis. Development of hypertension was also associated with a lack of recreational activities (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In addition to classical risk factors level of the amount of ECG peaks SV1+RV5–V6 > 24 mm is a new predictor of development of hypertension in the Belarusian organized population.