Relación entre la ingesta de sal y la presión arterial en pacientes hipertensos

Abstract

Introduction: Arterial hypertension resistant or refractory to treatment is a serious public health problem and although it is unclear what mechanisms by which this resistance occurs, it is suspected that sodium intake can play an important role. Objective: To determine whether patients with resistant hypertension take hidden sodium in food eaten in your diet; and relate this intake with their dietary habits. Patient and Methods: 32 patients (65.6% men and 34.4% women) were studied with an average age of 74.25 ± 6.38 years. A descriptive and cross-sectional study using structured interview on food consumption. The following variables were studied: age, gender, marital status, blood pressure, responsible for the preparation of meals, body mass index (BMI), consumption of hidden sodium in the diet and perception of patients about their sodium intake. Results: A real average intake of 3693.56 ± 2330.97 mg sodium was found. In 59.4% of cases, the meals were made by someone different to the patient, being higher sodium intake in these patients (3709.44 ± 529.37 mg vs 3677.69 ± 649.27 mg). Regarding the perception of the amount of ingested sodium, 9.4%: ate nothing, 56.3%: little, 21.9%: normal and 12.5%: quite. Those who said they ate no sodium and normal intake, the largest contribution was made during dinner; and those who said eating low sodium, and quite, was at lunch. Significant correlation between total sodium intake and BMI (r = 0.411, p <0.05) was found. No relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure was found. Conclusions: At least in the studied sample, there is no relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure; there is a direct relationship between sodium intake and the person who cooks. Furthermore, the perception in these patients regarding their sodium intake is adequate.