Abstract
BackgroundHypertension, being the root cause of many of the body sytem and organs failure, remains to be a major public health challenge globally. Though the problem is huge in both developed and developing countries, data are scarce in developing countries like Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to determine the magnitude and associated factors of hypertension in North West Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted on adults aged 35 years and above in the rural and urban communities of Dabat district and Gondar town in 2012. The data were collected using the WHO STEPwise strategy. Hypertension was defined as having a Systolic blood pressure of ≥140 mmHg and/ or a Diastolic BP of ≥ 90mmHg or a reported use of anti-hypertensive medications for raised blood pressure. Prevalence was computed with a 95% confidence interval. Selected risk factors were assessed using a biviarete logistic regression.ResultsA total of 2200 participants were included in the study. The median age (±SD) was 47 (±12.4) years. The overall prevalence of hypertension was found to be 27.9% [95% CI 26.0, 29.8], with the proportion in the urban and rural residents being 30.7% and 25.3% respectively. The prevalence of hypertension was 29.3% for women and 26.3% for men. Out of the 598 hypertensive patients 241 (40.3%) had blood pressure measurements, and 99 (16.6%) had known hypertension and were on treatment. The proportion of systolic and diastolic hypertension in this subgroup of adults was 133(6.2%). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed older age (AOR = 1.06; 1.05, 1.07), raised fasting glucose (AOR = 1.01; 1.001, 1.01), alcohol consumption (AOR = 1.71; 1.24, 2.36), and raised BMI (AOR =1.07; 1.04, 1.10) were significantly associated with hypertension.ConclusionThe prevalence of hypertension was considerably higher in rural areas than previously reported. The health system needs to develop strategies to increase the reach of relevant screening and diagnostic services to both rural and urban populations.
Highlights
Hypertension is a worldwide public-health challenge and a leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death
The prevalence of hypertension was considerably higher in rural areas than previously reported
The health system needs to develop strategies to increase the reach of relevant screening and diagnostic services to both rural and urban populations
Summary
Hypertension is a worldwide public-health challenge and a leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death. According to the WHO Global Health Observary Report, globally, the overall prevalence of Hypertension in adults aged 25 and over was around 40% in 2008 and was is estimated to cause 7.5 million deaths, about 12.8% of the total of all deaths worldwide. The prevalence of hypertension is rising among older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa [3,4]. Hypertension, being the root cause of many of the body sytem and organs failure, remains to be a major public health challenge globally. This study was aimed to determine the magnitude and associated factors of hypertension in North West Ethiopia.
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