Prevalence and Determinants of Blood Pressure Control among Hypertensive Patients in Primary Care Centers, Najran, Saudi Arabia

Hypertension is a typical example of long-term condition posing formidable challenges to health care. Among hypertensive patients, insufficient adherence to drug therapy is one of the common causes of poor control of blood pressure. The objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of blood pressure control among hypertensive patients and their determinants in primary care centers in Najran area. We conducted a retrospective analysis of administrative data from adult patients with hypertension followed in primary care clinics in Najran area. A representative sample of patients was randomly selected among eligible hypertensive patients from primary care clinics in Najran area. A total of 382 patients completed the survey and had data available for a 1 year medical record review. Their mean age was 62.71±14.16 years, 51.8% were male. The majority of the studied populations were married (96.6%). More than 50% of them were analphabetic (56.2%). The prevalence of patients with controlled blood pressure was 51.3% among the studied population despite ongoing hypertension treatments. Older age more than 60 years was a significant predictor of non-controlled hypertension. We conclude that targeted intervention to improve management of hypertension in primary care setting could make a substantial difference in the improvement of hypertensive patient prognosis.