Influence of environmental conditions on the prevalence of systemic hypertension in two riverine communities in the Amazon, Brazil.

This article discusses the influence of environmental conditions on the prevalence of systemic hypertension in two riverine communities in the Sustainable Development Reserve of Tupé, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, through an ecological study of multiple groups and contextual analysis carried out with the local inhabitants. To identify the environmental etiology describing the risk of disease development, the study compares demographics, incidence rates and common daily practices in these communities, using data collected in the field, between 2012 and 2014, as well as values provided by IBGE, originally from National Health Survey, 2013. The results suggest that social and environmental determinants, such as general living conditions, occupation and access to protective health care, in the investigated communities, are relevant factors in explaining the observed variability in systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) incidence rates. The study concludes by pointing out the importance and need to consider socio-environmental vulnerability in the elaboration of public health policies and in the management of environmentally protected areas.