Evaluating the hypertension care cascade in middle-aged and older adults in The Gambia: findings from a nationwide survey

Background: Hypertension is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa with poor treatment coverage and high case-fatality rates. This requires assessment of healthcare performance to identify areas where intervention is most needed. To identify areas where health resources should be most efficiently targeted, we assessed the hypertension care cascade i.e., loss and retention across the various stages of care, in Gambian adults aged 35 years and above. Methods: This study was embedded within the nationally representative 2019 Gambia National Eye Health Survey of adults ≥35 years. We constructed a hypertension care cascade with four categories: prevalence of hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, and/or current use of medication prescribed for hypertension); those aware of their diagnosis; those treated; and those with a controlled blood pressure (defined as blood pressure <140/90 mmHg). Analyses were age- and sex-standardised to the population structure of The Gambia. Logistic regression was used to assess the socio-demographic factors associated with prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension. Findings: Of 9171 participants with data for blood pressure, the prevalence of hypertension was 47.0%. Among people with hypertension, the prevalence of awareness was 54.7%, the prevalence of hypertension treatment was 32.5%, and prevalence of control was 10.0% with little difference between urban and rural residence. The cascade of care performance was better in women. However, there was no difference in achieving blood pressure control between men and women who were receiving treatment. Female sex, older age and higher body mass index were associated with higher hypertension awareness whilst having an occupation compared to being unemployed was associated with higher odds of being treated. Patients in the underweight category had higher odds of achieving blood pressure control. Interpretation: There is a high prevalence of hypertension and low performance of the health care system that impact on the hypertension care cascade among middle-aged and older adults in The Gambia. Addressing the full cascade will be paramount especially in reducing the mounting prevalence and improving diagnosis of patients with hypertension, where the greatest dividends will be gained.