Key result
Rural Haitian screening reveals elevated blood pressure in ~52% of older women.
Cross-Sectional (n=788)
No
INTRODUCTION: In 2005, a team of U.S. physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, emergency medical technicians and lay support personnel provided health services in an isolated town in rural Haiti. METHODS: During one week, the team saw 788 patients. They recorded age, sex, vital signs, diagnoses, and treatments in an electronic database. A descriptive analysis is presented. RESULTS: Intestinal parasitosis was the third most common diagnosis overall, and the most common diagnosis for children. For adults aged 50 years or older, 52% of women and 37% of men had elevated blood pressures, significantly more than adults aged 15-49 years. DISCUSSION: This paper focuses on intestinal parasitosis and hypertension. Periodic anti-helminthic treatment and community sanitation are discussed as ways to reduce the burden of parasites and secondary malnutrition. Challenges to implementing a sustainable antihypertensive program are discussed, including patient education, medication availability and prioritization, and adequate follow-up in a very austere rural setting.
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Niska et al. (2010) conducted a cross-sectional in General medical conditions (n=788). Ambulatory medical evaluation was evaluated on Common diagnoses and elevated blood pressure prevalence. Medical evaluation of 788 rural Haitian patients revealed elevated blood pressure in 52% of women and 37% of men aged ≥50 years, while intestinal parasitosis was the most common pediatric diagnosis.
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