Comparison of the prevalence of hypertension in the rural and urban areas of Guilan Province, Northern Iran.

Blood pressure levels of three groups of people 35 years and older in the Guilan province, Northern Iran are compared. One group in the city of Bandar Pahlavi (550) another group in the coastal villages near the city (510) and the third in the mountain villages, less than 100 km far from the city (272). This study shows that in both sexes, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure are lowest in the mountain villages, highest in the city and intermediate in the coastal villages. The possible causes of the observed differences are discussed.