Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Bangladesh: Findings from National Demographic and Health Survey, 2017–2018

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the age-standardised prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension and to identify their risk factors in Bangladeshi adults. Data from 12 904 adults aged 18-95 years, available from the most recent nationally representative 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey were used. Hypertension was defined as having systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, and/or taking anti-hypertensive drugs to control blood pressure. Age-standardized prevalence of hypertension and management were estimated with direct standardisation. A multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression model with a robust variance was used to identify risk factors associated with hypertension and its awareness, treatment, and control. The overall agestandardized prevalence of hypertension was 26.2% (95% CI, 25.5-26.9); (men: 23.5%, women: 28.9%). Among those with hypertension (n = 3531), 36.7% were aware that they had the condition, and only 31.1% received anti-hypertensive medication. The prevalence of controlled hypertension was 12.7% among those with hypertension and 43.6% among those treated for hypertension (n = 1306). Factors independently associated with hypertension were increasing age, higher body mass index, being women, having diabetes, and residing in selected administrative divisions. A declining trend of hypertension control was observed with increasing age and low education. Hypertension is highly prevalent (one in four) in Bangladeshi adults, while awareness, treatment, and control are low. Irrespective of the risks associated with hypertension and its management, programs to increase its awareness, treatment, and control should be given high priority in reducing hypertension prevalence and improving hypertension control in Bangladesh.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the risk factors of noncommunicable diseases (hypertension and diabetes) among Bangladeshi population: Evidence based on population level data analysis

“…The independent variables included in the study were selected based on previous literature reporting the risk of hypertension and diabetes in LMICs setting [ 4 , 5 , 8 , 13 , 17 , 19 , 29 – 32 ]. The household factors included administrative divisions (Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet, Mymensingh); place of residence (urban, rural); and wealth status (poorest, poorer, middle, richer, richest) based on pre-set cutoffs, whereas the socioeconomic and individual factors included: age of the participants (18–24, 25–34, 35–49, 50–59, 60–69, ≥70); sex of the participants (men, women); education level (no education, primary, secondary, higher); and occupational status (had no work, had work) and body mass index (BMI) level.…”

“…Despite efforts to enhance people’s lives and well-being, the burden of hypertension, diabetes, and other metabolic risk factors for NCDs continues to grow, with vast portions of the Bangladeshi population pleading for immediate action [ 4 , 5 , 16 – 19 ]. Hypertension and diabetes are the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease(CVDs), afflicting approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide living with hypertension [ 15 ].…”

Prevalence and determinants of non-communicable diseases risk factors among reproductive-aged women of Bangladesh: Evidence from Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2017-2018

“…There is an increased chance of developing NCD when two or more of these factors combine, referred to as clustering of risk factors [11]. Consequently, a considerable proportion of the population suffered from overweight (29.4%) [12], hypertension (26.2%) [13], and diabetes (9.2%) [14] in Bangladesh.…”

“…There is an increased chance of developing NCD when two or more of these factors combine, referred to as clustering of risk factors [11]. Consequently, a considerable proportion of the population suffered from overweight (29.4%) [12], hypertension (26.2%) [13], and diabetes (9.2%) [14] in Bangladesh. Women are at an increased risk of developing NCD as they mostly experience a combination of multiple behavioral and metabolic risk factors [15,16].…”

“…It is evident that to prevent and control NCD, the socio-demographic determinants of major NCD risk factors and their clustering should be explored and understood in a systematic way. There are many studies that focused on the prevalence and risk factors of NCDs [1,[5][6][7]10,11], in addition to diabetes, hypertension [1,13,14], overweight and obesity [12]. Though a large number of studies were nationally representative studies and few studies used earlier data or focused on a specific geographic region, studies on the women of reproductive age addressing the overall social determinants and prevalence of risk factors of NCD were very rare.…”