May Measurement Month 2021: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from South Africa
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, hypertension prevalence is higher and cardiovascular events occur at a younger age than in Europe or America. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign initiated by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) aimed at raising awareness of high BP. In South Africa, the MMM campaign in 2017, 2018, and 2019 revealed that approximately one-third of adults had hypertension, only half of hypertensives were receiving antihypertensive therapy, and only a third of those with hypertension had controlled BP. These data highlight the need for continued BP screening and awareness campaigns in South Africa. From May to November 2021, a cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 years was performed. Blood pressure measurements, definition of hypertension, and statistical analyses followed the MMM protocol. The screening sites targeted the general population mainly on university campuses and pharmacies in preference to hospitals and clinics, aiming to raise awareness and allow access to screening in those less likely to be aware of their BP status. Of the 2294 individuals (age 37.3 ± 16.9 years) screened, 30.8% had hypertension. Of those with hypertension, only 48.6% were aware and 43.5% were receiving treatment for hypertension. A large proportion (50.4%) of individuals receiving antihypertensive medication had uncontrolled BP (≥140/90 mmHg). In conclusion, the high prevalence of hypertension, despite the young adult age, and the high proportions of individuals unaware of their hypertension and with uncontrolled BP underscore the necessity for hypertension awareness campaigns and more rigorous management of hypertension.
Date Issued
2024-06
Date Acceptance
2024-07-01
Citation
European Heart Journal Supplements, 2024, 26 (Supplement 3), pp.iii86-iii89
ISSN
1520-765X
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Start Page
iii86
End Page
iii89
Journal / Book Title
European Heart Journal Supplements
Volume
26
Issue
Supplement 3
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://
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 reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for
reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for
further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://
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 reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for
reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for
further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39055569
Subjects
Blood pressure
Control
Hypertension
Screening
South Africa
Treatment
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
suae063
Date Publish Online
2024-07-24