Abstract P125: Hypertension, Awareness, Treatment, And Control In Nepal: Results From May Measurement Month 2020 Blood Pressure Screening

Abstract

Background: May Measurement Month (MMM) 2020 was not officially executed globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But in Nepal, the MMM 2020 was conducted by following COVID-19 safety measures. Methods: We used an opportunistic screening campaign for blood pressure measurement among individuals ≥18 years in Nepal. Of the three measurements, the second and third measurements were used to estimate the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure(BP). We defined hypertension as the systolic BP ≥ 120 or diastolic BP≥90 mmHg and or currently taking antihypertensive medicine. Results: Among the total 11,486 participants, 57%(6568/11486) were females. The mean age of the screenees was 45years(SD=17.0). The mean systolic and diastolic BP were 125.8(SD= 18.0) and 81.6(SD=10.5) respectively. About 31.3%(3592/11481) participants had hypertension. Among the hypertensive persons, 40.2%(1444/3592) were aware of their hypertension status. Among these who were aware, 79.4%(1146/1444) were taking antihypertensive medicine. However, the overall proportion of hypertensive patients taking medicine was 32.0%(1146/3592). The BP was controlled among 46% ( 527/1444) of participants who were under medication. Logistic regression analysis adjusting age, sex, body mass index(BMI), and smoking status found males, higher age groups, higher BMI, and smokers had higher odds of being hypertensive. (Figure 1) Conclusion: The results suggest a need to address the gap in awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension in Nepal. The results are limited due to the non-random participation of screenees. Figure 1. Odds ratio plot