Introduction: Hypertension is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, myocardial infarction, kidney diseases and premature mortality. There has been a significant increase in the incidence of hypertension and prehypertension due to the increase in urbanization and economic development, which has led to more tensions and stress, aging population and change in the lifestyle and diet. The rates of prehypertension in the young adults varies with different geographical areas and hence this study was taken to assess the prevalence of prehypertension among the young adults in our area.

Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 1783 patients between the ages 18–39 years who had come to our OPD for various ailments and who were unaware of their blood pressure status. Medical examination was done with blood pressure taken twice in 10-minute interval, and blood was collected for biochemical tests such as lipid profile and random blood sugar.

Results: 12.7% of the patients had elevated blood pressure with 4.3% having established hypertension and 8.5% having prehypertension. Over 90% of the patients with hypertension were overweight or obese, while it was around 82% for prehypertensive patients. A total of 178 patients out of 228 (79.1%), who had elevated blood pressure had either their mother of father with hypertension. Around 80% of these patients were either smokers or had alcohol on a regular basis or both.

Conclusion: Early detection is of utmost importance so that treatment can be started at the earliest resulting in reduction in morbidity and mortality. Health education in the community is important to bring about the awareness of hypertension and its risk factors in the younger generation.