May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Slovenia
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Accounting for an estimated 10.4 million deaths each year, arterial hypertension is a worldwide epidemic. However, it is a treatable condition that can be readily recognized with cost-effective blood pressure (BP) measurements. Alongside continuous improvements in BP control and treatment, worldwide strategies aim to achieve a high level of hypertension awareness. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign initiated by the International Society of Hypertension to raise awareness of high BP. Slovenia began with yearly cost-free BP measurements and awareness campaigns in 2005 when World Hypertension Day was announced by the World Hypertension League and in 2017, we joined the MMM initiative. In May 2019, we performed a cross-sectional survey following the standardized MMM protocol. Healthcare personnel obtained BP measurements in a sample of adult subjects (≥18 years) across all regions of the country, mostly in healthcare facilities and pharmacies. In total, 4974 individuals (61.1% female), with a mean age of 59.6 years, were screened. After multiple imputation for missing data, 3037 (61.1%) participants had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 973 (33.4%) were hypertensive. Of those who reported receiving antihypertensives, 1110 (53.8%) had uncontrolled BP. MMM19 was the largest BP screening campaign undertaken in Slovenia so far. We again identified a substantial number of participants with possible hypertension and uncontrolled BP despite taking antihypertensive medication, which were then referred to their general practitioners or dedicated hypertension centres for further evaluation and management. Taken together, our findings underline the importance of opportunistic screening programmes.
Date Issued
2021-05-01
Date Acceptance
2020-10-29
Citation
European Heart Journal Supplements, 2021, 23 (B), pp.B131-B133
ISSN
1520-765X
Publisher
European Society of Cardiology
Start Page
B131
End Page
B133
Journal / Book Title
European Heart Journal Supplements
Volume
23
Issue
B
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2021.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
License URL
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000706855500040&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Cardiovascular System & Cardiology
Hypertension
Blood Pressure
Screening
Treatment
Control
HYPERTENSION
PREVALENCE
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-05-05