Prevalence of hypertension, arterial stiffness and risk factor association

Arterial hypertension (AH) is the most common disease in adulthood. In Brazil, the estimated prevalence of SAH in 2018 was 24.7% in adults and above 60.9% in the elderly population.1 Frequently associated with metabolic disorders, functional or structural changes in target organs, and aggravated by the presence of other risk factors (RF), such as dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus (DM).2,3 Although SAH is directly related to age, some factors predispose the disease at an early stage, such as obesity.,3 DM4 and physical inactivity,5 which are directly linked to oxidative tissue stress and chronic inflammation. In addition, it causes a high social cost and is the main risk factor for cardiovascular mortality.