Prevalence of Subjectively Experienced Symptoms in a Population Sample of Women with Special Reference to Women with Arterial Hypertension

Abstract

Women, participants in a population study and representative of middle-aged women in the general population, were asked to complete a questionnaire containing 30 questions about prevalence or absence of 30 specified complaints during the last three months prior to the investigation. As a whole, complaints were common. E.g. more than 30% reported sleep disturbances, 40% general fatigue and 40% depressive symptoms. There were some differences between the different age groups studied with respect to different complaints but the total number of stated complaints were similar in the different ages. A special analysis was made concerning antihypertensive drugs and blood pressure levels. The most obvious finding with respect to these variables was that symptoms were common in women with low blood pressure (below 120 mmHg).