Table 5: Clinical characteristics of subjects with or without hypertension. VARIABLES NO HYPERTENSION HYPERTENSION P N=119 N=114 Age ≥60 years 28(23,5) 43(37,7) 0,013 Sex 0,245 Female 4(36,4) 7(63,6) Male 115(51,8) 107(48,2) Overweight 29(24,4) 34(29,8) 0,215 Obesity 10(8,4) 17(14,9) 0,089 Central obesity 26(21,8) 43(37,7) 0,006 Subclinical atherosclerosis 6(5,0) 29(25,4) <0,001 Morbid risk 46(38,7) 68(59,6) 0,001 CMR 52(43,7) 72(63,2) 0,002 Hypercholesterolemia 16(13,4) 21(18,4) 0,195 Hypertriglyceridemia 10(8,4) 19(16,7) 0,043 DM 6(5,0) 9(7,9) 0,268 High LDL-c 10(8,4) 9(7,9) 0,539 Proteinuria 26(21,8) 42(36,8) 0,009 CKD 29(24,4) 48(42,1) 0,003 Data are expressed as absolute (n) and relative (in percent) frequency. HBP= High blood pressure; DM=Diabetes mellitus; CKD= Chronic kidney disease; CMR= Cardio metabolic risk; LDLc= Low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Table 6: Determinants of hypertension. VARIABLES UNADJUSTED OR P ADJUSTED OR P (95% CI) (95% CI) Age ≥60 years No 1 1 Yes 1.97 (1.12-3.47) 0.019 1.78 (0.95-3.33) 0.070 Ethnic group Luba 1 1 Swahili 1.16 (0.54-2.48) 0.701 1.29 (0.5-2.87)8 0.538 Kongo 1.18 (0.56-2.49) 0.671 1.78 (0.66-3.29) 0.340 Ngala 2.77 (1.24-6.22) 0.013 3.10 (1.30-7.37) 0.011 Central obesity No 1 1 Yes 2.12 (1.22-3.86) 0.009 2.94 (1.56-5.57) 0.001 CKD No 1 1 Yes 2.57 (1.29-3.95) 0.004 1.86 (1.02-3.44) 0.041 Abréviation : CKD = Chronic Kidney Disease. hand. A common denominator behind the relation of BP20 Among the hypertensive military, 42.1% were unaware to these parameters is insulin resistance with its deleterious of their hypertensive status, a proportion lower than that effects on cardiovascular system23, 24 locally found in the VITARAA study with 73.0% of the . hypertensive population unaware of their affection32 Current average BP level in the Congolese military per- and much lower than the 80.1% reported in the mentio- sonnel falls into the category of pre-hypertension accor- ned Beninese survey. The aware hypertensive subjects31 ding to the WHO classification; it already constitutes were all under treatment, but only 36.4% of them had hypertension according to the recent American stan- reached the target BP. Though low, the rate of hyperten- dards. Nevertheless, considering the ESH/ESC 2018 crite-25 sion control turned out to be far higher than those of rion of BP ≥140/90 mmHg, 48.9% of participants in this 3%, 18.3% and 14% found in the Congolese general work were hypertensive. A quite high rate similar to that population, respectively by M’Buyamba-Kabangu et al. in reported in some DRC general populations, which varies 198632 and Bayauli et al. in 201433at Kinshasa, and by between 38 and 51%26, 27. This rate is clearly beyond those Katchunga et al. in 2011 at Bukavu. It corroborates data20 reported among soldiers in Saudi Arabia (23.2%), Brazil28 reported among soldiers in other regions of sub-Saharan (22%), Iran (32.9%)3029 and Benin (26.3%) . Such a high31 Africa and the world28, 29, 31. As expected BP control was rate could be attributed to the lack of regular screening better on combined therapy than on monotherapy. followed by preventive measures among Congolese sol- VOL. diers, a context where hypertension is often diagnosed at In multivariate logistic regression model, the Ngala ethnic 94/3 an advanced stage or after occurrence of complications. group, abdominal obesity and CKD were the independent International Review of the Armed Forces Medical Services 90 Revue Internationale des Services de Santé des Forces Armées