Medicina comunitaria y educación para la salud

Abstracto

Blood Pressure and Hypertension among Coastal Fishermen in South-east Brazil

Bruna Oliveira Begossi, Mariana Passos Cavichiolo and Cristina Brandt Friedrich Martin Gurgel

Health issues are a priority in the management and conservation processes of rural areas in Brazil. In this study, which covers two fishing communities, we aim to investigate some possible health problems and their causes among fishermen. Hypertension is a syndrome characterised by blood pressure levels above the recommended pressure for a certain age and medical condition. This syndrome is certainly one of the most serious public health problems of the modern world and has a high prevalence (from 22 to 44% in Brazil) and a low rate of control with the standard treatment (30% in the U.S.). This research is focused on the blood pressure levels in two communities of fishermen in Southeast Brazil: the first, an urban community, is located in Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, RJ; and the second, a rural community, is located in Ponta Grossa, Paraty, in the Atlantic Forest coast. The basis for estimating the number of fishermen from each community (as approximately 20 in each community) was taken from earlier studies involving these fisheries. We conducted interviews with fishermen who were 40 years and older at the landing point at Copacabana beach in Rio and at the fishermen’s residences in Ponta Grossa, Paraty. Eighteen interviews were performed in the urban community (Rio), where the average age was 55 years old, and fourteen were performed in the rural community (Paraty), where the average age was 63 years old. The results show a higher incidence of hypertension in Ponta Grossa (71%, out of 14) than in Copacabana, where the percentage was lower (11%, out of 18). The results from Ponta Grossa could be related to the tradition of salting and drying fish, which was very common before the beginning of the power generation. This practice increases salt intake during the fishermen’s lifetime and is consequently reflected in the current health conditions of the community from Ponta Grossa, Paraty, RJ.