OBJECTIVE: To determine if abnormal laboratory findings are more common in individuals with hypertension and in those with other risk factors, such as obesity, smoking and alcohol ingestion. METHODS: A study was carried out in the general outpatient clinics of a university hospital (145 individuals without previous diagnosis of hypertension) and the following variables were assessed: high blood pressure (as defined by the VI Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection and Treatment of High Blood Pressure - VI JNC), obesity [calculated using body mass index (BMI)], tobacco use, and alcoholic ingestion. The laboratory examinations consisted of the following tests: hemogram, glycemia, uric acid, potassium, total/HDL-fraction cholesterol, triglycerides, calcium and creatinine. RESULTS: High blood pressure was not associated with a higher number of abnormal laboratory tests. Hypertensive individuals with a BMI > or = 25kg/m² or normotensive obese individuals, however, had a higher frequency of diabetes (12X), hypertriglyceridemia (3X), and hypercholesterolemia (2X), as compared with hypertensive individuals with BMI <25kg/m² and preobese/normal weight normotensive individuals. CONCLUSION: High blood pressure is not associated with a higher frequency of abnormal laboratory tests. The association of high blood pressure and obesity, however, increases the detection of diabetes and dyslipidemias.

A cefaléia é sintoma de alta prevalência na população, sendo queixa freqüente na prática clínica. Cursa geralmente com exame físico geral e neurológico normais. A triagem de pacientes com cefaléia facilitaria o atendimento em centros médicos não especializados. No presente estudo utilizou-se um questionário baseado nos critérios da Sociedade Internacional de Cefaléias modificado pelos autores em 204 pacientes de ambulatório do Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP. Metade destes pacientes foi submetida a consulta clínica. Os resultados do questionário foram então comparados com os resultados da consulta clínica (padrão-ouro). As cefaléias encontradas eram primárias (89,6%) na sua maioria. O questionário demonstrou sensibilidade de 90,2% para detecção das enxaquecas e especificidade de 57,9%, com coeficiente de comparação (kappa) de 0,47, e valor preditivo positivo (VPP) de 65,7% e um valor preditivo negativo (VPN) de 86,8 . A sensibilidade para detecção de cefaléia do tipotensional foi 60,8% e a especificidade foi 87,1% comkappa de 0,49, e VPP de 77,8% e VPN de 75,9. Concluímos que esse questionário pode ser utilizado como um método de triagem para o diagnóstico de cefaléias, podendo ser aplicado por pessoal não médico. Futuramente, ele poderá ser utilizado em estudos populacionais.

Headache is a common complaint with a high prevalence in ambulatory settings. The physical and neurological examinations are frequently normal. The use of questionnaires as a screening method for patients with primary headache could facilitate the diagnosis in non specialized medical centers. In the present study, we used a questionnaire , based on the IHS criteria and modified by the authors, applied to 204 patients from the outpatient clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. Half of the patients were submitted to a clinical interview. We compared the results of the questionnaire with the results of the medical interview (gold standard). Most of the headaches we studied were primary headaches (89.6%). The questionnaire revealed a sensitivity of 90.2% and specificity of 57.9% for migraine detection with a chance corrected agreement {kappa) of 0.47 and a positive predictive (PPV) value of 65.7% and a negative predictive value (NPV) de 86.8%. The sensitivity for tension-type headache detection was 60.8% and the specificity 87.1 % with a kappa value of 0.49 and a PPV of 77.8% and a NPV of 75.9%. We conclude that this questionnaire can be used as a screening method for diagnosing headache and that it can be applied by non-medical personnel. This questionnaire could also be used for population studies.