May measurement month 2018: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Albania.
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This article reports on May Measurement Month (MMM) 2018, which consisted of the 2nd round of the hypertension screening campaign conducted in Albania, a former communist country in South Eastern Europe. The hypertension screening campaign in Albania was conducted during the period 13-31 May 2018. Overall, there were eight sites from seven districts of the country involving 7046 participants aged ≥18 years (61% women and 39% men; overall mean age 46.8 ± 15.7 years). Blood pressure was measured with OMRON sphygmomanometers (Omron Healthcare, Kyoto, Japan). Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg, or on treatment for hypertension. Self-reported information included height and weight, diabetes, smoking status, and alcohol intake. The proportion of participants with hypertension was 37.2% of whom only 52.1% exhibited awareness. Furthermore, only a quarter of hypertensive individuals were properly treated and controlled. Significant predictors of high SBP and/or high DBP included a previous diagnosis of hypertension, being on antihypertensive medication, frequent alcohol intake, and being overweight and obese. The MMM 2018 campaign in Albania had a unique value for early detection of hypertension, particularly among younger adults. Policymakers and decision-makers in Albania and elsewhere should also rely on the MMM screening campaigns which have a great potential for prevention and control of hypertension in the general population.
Date Issued
2020-08
Date Acceptance
2020-08-01
Citation
European Heart Journal Supplements, 2020, 22 (Suppl H), pp.H5-H7
ISSN
1520-765X
Publisher
European Society of Cardiology
Start Page
H5
End Page
H7
Journal / Book Title
European Heart Journal Supplements
Volume
22
Issue
Suppl H
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2020.
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
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32884455
PII: suaa014
Subjects
Albania
Blood pressure
Control
Hypertension
Screening
Treatment
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Date Publish Online
2020-08-28