An epidemiological study of blood pressure and lipid levels among Marwaris of Calcutta, India

This population based study was conducted among the Marwaris of Calcutta, India. A total of 1,096 individuals from 151 randomly selected families were studied. Mean blood pressures were high. About 17% of the population was hypertensive, i.e., systolic blood pressure > 160 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure > 95 mm Hg. The mean value of the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol was 4.75. Comparison with a rural agricultural population showed that unadjusted blood pressure profiles differed significantly, but not when the profiles were adjusted for variation in concomitants (e.g., age, weight, fatness, etc.). It is hypothesized that the "intrinsic" blood pressure profiles of both populations are similar and that genes influencing physical variables (e.g., fatness) do not directly influence blood pressure