Hypertension (HT) is an important health problem that causes many serious events such as early mortality, decreased quality of life and increased health expenditures (1). If HT cannot be treated successfully due to the clinical picture it creates, it causes serious organ damage (2,3). When the demographic characteristics of hypertensive individuals are examined, it is seen that blood pressure is affected by factors such as geographical, ethnic and gender (4). It is recommended that those with a history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease are among the most risky groups for the development of HT, and that people with at least one of these diseases should be screened regularly for HT (5). Studies have found a relationship between high body mass index (BMI) and high blood pressure (6,7). In addition, it has been determined that weight gain increases the risk of high blood pressure, even if it remains within the normal BMI limits (8). Apart from these, it is recommended that people with cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, obesity, metabolic syndrome, smoking history and those with a diagnosis of HT in at least one of their family members should be screened for the evaluation of blood pressure levels (5). Studies show that no progress has been made in raising awareness about hypertension in the last 10 years, and the rates of treatment and compliance are low. According to current hypertension guidelines, blood pressure control rates have stalled at 34% (1). Complications of blood pressure increasing with age affect the life expectancy and quality of life negatively by reducing many socio-economic, psychological and physiological abilities of the individual. In addition, elderly and hypertensive individuals become dependent and in need of care in their daily living activities (8-10).

HT is seen as an important health problem worldwide. It is accepted that one out of every four adults in the world is affected by this condition and some of them are not aware of this change in blood pressure. Recent studies have shown that hypertension can be prevented or its course can be changed with early diagnosis and lifestyle changes, bringing the importance of health education on this disease to the agenda (2). Although the prevalence of HT in Turkey is 31.8% in the adult population over the age of 18, it was found to be 72.2% in the population over the age of 60 (11). The prevalence of hypertension, which increases with age, causes the elderly to use health services more and for a longer period of time, and an increase in the need for social support with addiction. However, with policies that prioritize interventions to prevent chronic health problems such as HT, delay its onset, and reduce disability, it can be ensured that the elderly live longer independently and long-term care can be reduced (12). It is estimated that there are approximately 15-18 million hypertensive individuals in Turkey. In some regions, the frequency of hypertension may increase due to both low socio-economic level and wrong eating habits (11,12). There is a direct correlation between high blood pressure and complications of hypertension (cardiovascular, serobravascular and renal). The higher the blood pressure, the higher the probability of encountering these complications. With appropriate treatment, the incidence of coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney disease and related death can be reduced by 30%. One of the important problems encountered in HT is that people with hypertension are not aware of their condition. Only 68% of hypertensive adults are aware of their condition. 50% of those with hypertension are using medication and only 27% of those receiving treatment have blood pressure below 140/90 mm/Hg. The majority of patients with hypertension are diagnosed at an early stage through comprehensive screening studies and public education about HT symptoms in developed countries. A significant portion of hypertensive patients do not receive adequate treatment (12,13). For this reason, HT causes financial losses for both the individual and the country. Increasing efforts towards this health problem, which is increasing in size all over the world, are deemed necessary. The main purpose of preventive health services should be to protect and improve public health. The most important way to serve this purpose is to fight the most common, deadly and most disabling diseases. One of the best examples of this is the fight against hypertension (6).

This work; It was conducted retrospectively to determine the demographic characteristics of patients diagnosed with essential hypertension who applied to Cumhuriyet University Practice and Research Hospital.