To systematically review quantitative differences in the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension between developed and developing countries over the past 6 years. We searched Medline [prevalence AND awareness AND treatment AND control AND (hypertension OR high blood pressure)] for population-based surveys. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were compared between men and women, and between developing and developed countries, adjusting for age. The proportions of awareness, treatment and control were defined relative to the total number of hypertensive patients. We identified 248 articles, of which 204 did not fulfill inclusion criteria. The remaining articles reported data from 35 countries. Among men, the mean prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were 32.2, 40.6, 29.2 and 9.8%, respectively, in developing countries and 40.8, 49.2, 29.1 and 10.8%, respectively, in developed countries. Among women, the mean prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were 30.5, 52.7, 40.5, and 16.2%, respectively, in developing countries and 33.0, 61.7, 40.6 and 17.3%, respectively, in developed countries. After adjusting for age, the prevalence of hypertension among men was lower in developing than in developed countries (difference, −6.5%; 95% confidence interval, −11.3 to −1.8%). There were no significant differences in mean prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension between developed and developing countries, except for a higher prevalence among men in developed countries. The prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in developing countries are coming closer to those in developed countries.

Several studies conducted worldwide report an inverse association between caffeine/coffee consumption and the risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). However, heterogeneity and conflicting results between studies preclude a correct estimation of

Studies on the association between single foods or nutrients and colorectal cancer have provided inconsistent results. Previous reviews did not conduct a quantitative synthesis of the relation with dietary patterns. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies addressing the association between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer. Studies quantifying the association between dietary patterns (defined a posteriori) and colorectal cancer were identified in PubMed (until 01.08.2010) and through backward and forward citation tracking (ISI Web of Science and Scopus). Summary relative risk (RR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were computed for highest versus lowest levels of exposure, for colon cancer (CC) and rectal cancer (RC), and for proximal and distal CC, by random effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was quantified using the I2 statistic. Eight cohort and eight case–control studies defining patterns through principal components and factor analyses were included in the systematic review. Meta-analyses were conducted for three patterns: (i) ‘drinker,’ characterized by high alcohol consumption (CC: RRcombined=0.96, 95% CI: 0.82–1.12, I2=0.6%; RC: RRcombined=0.83, 95% CI: 0.47–1.45, I2=65.1%); (ii) ‘healthy,’ characterized by high fruit/vegetables consumption (CC: RRcombined=0.80, 95% CI: 0.70–0.90, I2=55.1%; RC: RRcombined=1.02, 95% CI: 0.89–1.17, I2=10.8%); (iii) ‘western,’ characterized by high red/processed meat consumption (CC: RRcombined=1.29, 95% CI: 1.13–1.48, I2=31.7%; RC: RRcombined=1.13, 95% CI: 0.92–1.39, I2=40.6%). Summary estimates for proximal and distal CC were similar. The risk of CC was increased with patterns characterized by high intake of red and processed meat and decreased with those labelled as ‘healthy.’ No significant associations were observed for RC.