Key result
Diabetes is linked to ~28% lower rate of achieving blood pressure control in hypertensive outpatients.
Why the study?
Achieving timely BP control is critical for reducing complications, yet evidence on the time required to achieve control and its determinants within Ethiopian hospital settings remained limited.
Cohort (n=502)
No
In an Ethiopian tertiary care cohort, 72.3% of hypertensive patients achieved BP control within 12 months (median 5.3 months), with older age, higher baseline systolic BP, and comorbid diabetes significantly delaying time to control.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Closer monitoring may be considered for diabetic or older patients; extends cohort data on BP control timelines but leaves open intervention effects.
Background Hypertension, affecting over 1.28 billion adults globally, and being a major public health challenge in Ethiopia, with an adult prevalence of approximately 20%, is a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Achieving timely blood pressure (BP) control is critical for reducing complications; however, evidence on the time to control and its determinants within Ethiopian hospital settings remain limited. Objective To assess the time required to achieve BP control and to identify factors associated with delayed control among hypertensive patients attending the medical outpatient department at Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from May 09, 2024 to December 09, 2025 Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using 12 months of patient records. Adult hypertensive patients (≥ 18 years) with at least three follow-up visits were included. Time to BP control (< 140/90 mmHg) for all hypertensive patients and (< 130/80) for hypertensive patients with diabetes and/or CKD was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimation and Cox proportional hazards regression. For clinical interpretability, results are presented as Time Ratios (TR), where TR > 1 indicates a longer time to control. Adjusted TRs with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported. Results A total of 502 participants were included in the cohort (response rate: 96.2%). By 12 months of follow-up, the cumulative incidence of blood pressure (BP) control was 72.3% (95% CI: 68.2–76.2%), with a median time to BP control of 5.3 months. In the final adjusted model, older age (aTR = 1.06 per year, 95% CI: 1.00–1.08, p = 0.006), higher baseline systolic BP (aTR = 1.10 per mmHg, 95% CI: 1.01–1.11, p < 0.001), and the presence of diabetes (aTR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.10–1.72, p = 0.005) were independently associated with longer time to achieve BP control. Conclusion Although most patients achieved BP control within one year, the duration was significantly prolonged for older patients, those with higher initial systolic BP, and those with diabetes. These findings support the need for risk-stratified management, including earlier treatment intensification and closer monitoring for high-risk groups to shorten the time to BP control.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Sitotaw et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Hypertension (n=502). Diabetes mellitus (and clinical determinants: older age, higher baseline systolic blood pressure) vs. Hypertensive patients without diabetes (or lower age/baseline SBP) was evaluated on Time to blood pressure control (<140/90 mmHg generally, <130/80 mmHg for patients with diabetes and/or CKD) (HR 0.724 (aTR 1.39 for diabetes), 95% CI 0.579-0.905, p=0.005). Among hypertensive outpatients, 72.3% achieved BP control within 12 months, while diabetes, older age, and higher baseline SBP prolonged time to control.
Synapse has enriched 8 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: