Background and objectives: There is little knowledge on whether clustering of hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, alcohol drinking, overweight and central obesity increases risk of hypertension in Mongolian people of rural and animal husbandry area.

Methods: A cross sectional study was performed in a Mongolian population. Demographic data, lifestyle factors, family history of hypertension, blood pressure measurements, physical examination were obtained and blood glucose and lipids were examined in 2532 individuals.

Results: Hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, alcohol drinking, overweight and central obesity were all independently associated with hypertension (all P < 0.01), and clustering of these risk factors correlated with risk of hypertension in Mongolian people. Age and gender-adjusted OR of hypertension for clustering of two, three and four or more factors were 1.878(1.262, 2.795), 3.735(2.529, 5.516) and 4.361(2.886, 6.589), respectively.

Conclusions: Hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, alcohol drinking, overweight and central obesity were independent risk factors of hypertension. Risk of hypertension in Mongolian people increased with the number of up to five risk factors in clusters. It is imperative that risk factors be controlled at the same time for the primary prevention and early treatment of hypertension.