Key result
Opportunistic BP screening identifies hypertension in ~22% of adults, with many unaware and untreated.
Why the study?
Raised blood pressure is a growing global health problem leading to over 10 million deaths annually, and awareness and screening efforts in Malawi were needed to identify individuals with raised BP.
Does opportunistic blood pressure screening identify undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension in Malawi?
Cross-Sectional (n=10,791)
Yes
Does opportunistic blood pressure screening identify undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension in Malawi?
Opportunistic blood pressure screening in Malawi identified a high burden of undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension, highlighting significant gaps in awareness and management.
Supports hypertension awareness efforts in Malawi; leaves open whether opportunistic screening improves control in low-resource settings.
Raised blood pressure (BP) is a growing health care problem in the world leading to over 10 million deaths annually. May Measurement Month (MMM), which aims at raising awareness and screening people for raised BP, is assisting people to know their BP status. In 2018, an opportunistic cross-sectional survey was carried out during May and June in 10 791 volunteers aged 18 years and above following that done in 2017. The screening took place in Lilongwe, Blantyre, Dedza, Kasungu, and Nkhatabay districts mostly in hospitals/clinics, marketplaces, workplaces, and churches/mosques with Kasungu and Nkhatabay in rural areas. After multiple imputation, 2404 (22.3%) had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive treatment, 2101 (20.0%) were found to have raised BP. Only 303 (12.6%) of those with hypertension were receiving antihypertensive treatment, and of these 101 (33.3%) had uncontrolled BP. MMM was the largest BP screening campaign ever undertaken in Malawi. The results identified a large number of individuals with raised BP who were unaware and not on treatment and over one-third of those on treatment were uncontrolled, indicating the need for better management of cases. These results suggest that opportunistic screening can identify significant numbers with raised BP.
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Ndhlovu et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension (n=10,791). Opportunistic blood pressure screening was evaluated on Hypertension. Opportunistic blood pressure screening of 10,791 adults in Malawi identified hypertension in 22.3% of participants, with a large number unaware and untreated.
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