Roadmap to Achieve 25% Hypertension Control in Africa by 2025
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) has identified hypertension as the highest area of priority action to reduce heart disease and stroke on the continent. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this PASCAR roadmap on hypertension was to develop practical guidance on how to implement strategies that translate existing knowledge into effective action and improve detection, treatment and control of hypertension and cardiovascular health in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by the year 2025. METHODS: Development of this roadmap started with the creation of a consortium of experts with leadership skills in hypertension. In 2014, experts in different fields, including physicians and nonphysicians, were invited to join. Via face-to-face meetings and teleconferences, the consortium made a situation analysis, set a goal, identified roadblocks and solutions to the management of hypertension and customized the World Heart Federation roadmap to Africa. RESULTS: Hypertension is a major crisis on the continent but very few randomized controlled trials have been conducted on its management. Also, only 25.8% of the countries have developed or adopted guidelines for management of hypertension. Other major roadblocks are either government and health-system related or health care professional or patient related. The PASCAR hypertension task force identified a 10-point action plan to be implemented by African ministries of health to achieve 25% control of hypertension in Africa by 2025. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension affects millions of people in SSA and if left untreated, is a major cause of heart disease and stroke. Very few SSA countries have a clear hypertension policy. This PASCAR roadmap identifies practical and effective solutions that would improve detection, treatment and control of hypertension on the continent and could be implemented as is or adapted to specific national settings.
Date Issued
2018-03-01
Date Acceptance
2017-10-01
Citation
Global Heart, 2018, 13 (1), pp.45-59
ISSN
2211-8179
Publisher
Ubiquity Press
Start Page
45
End Page
59
Journal / Book Title
Global Heart
Volume
13
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2017 Published byElsevier Ltd. on behalf ofWorld Heart Federation(Geneva). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence 4.0 (unless stated otherwise) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, providing original work is properly cited. The copyright is retained by the author(s).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29042191
PII: S2211-8160(17)30054-6
Subjects
Africa
action
blood pressure
control
hypertension
prevalence
roadmap
Africa South of the Sahara
Cardiology
Humans
Hypertension
Prevalence
Societies, Medical
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2017-10-16