Screening, diagnosis, and long-term health outcomes in developing countries—The case of hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension is a rapidly growing problem in developing countries. At the same time, due to its asymptomatic nature, the afflicted population is largely unaware of being hypertensive. Due to a lack of resources, routine medical exams are very rare in developing countries and many sick individuals remain undiagnosed. Using a large sample of hypertensive individuals from Indonesia, we show the importance of being diagnosed. Diagnosed individuals exhibit lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and overall lower probability of remaining hypertensive than undiagnosed individuals. We also show the main channels through which this is achieved: taking medication, routinely monitoring one's blood pressure, and engaging in moderate physical activities. We also point to channels through which additional benefits could be realized, but that are currently ineffective: dietary changes and maintaining a healthy body weight. Combined, these results point to the importance of directing public policy towards addressing the under-diagnosis problem and educating the public of the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle .

Risk factors of the progression to hypertension and characteristics of natural history during progression: A national cohort study

“…In this national cohort-based study, the progression rate from normal to hypertension was 66.39%, with an adjusted incidence rate of 8.62 per 100 person-year in middle-aged people and 12.68 per 100 person-year in elderly people; this was a much larger proportion than previous studies have demonstrated [5,9,15,22], including the population study in Japan, which reported a total of 40.7% of progression to hypertension at the 12-year follow up [17]. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the progression rate and risk factors of the progression to hypertension in Korea.…”

“…Hypertension is the leading component of global disease burden and acts as a major cause of cardiovascular diseases [1]; a higher mortality in hypertensive population is well known in many countries through national level studies [2][3][4]. However, the incidence and prevalence of hypertension is difficult to measure naturally, given its asymptomatic nature [5]. Many studies that have aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension by screening or survey have concluded that 20%-45% of the total population worldwide has hypertension [6][7][8][9].…”

The relationship between a microfinance-based healthcare delivery platform, health insurance coverage, health screenings, and disease management in rural Western Kenya

“…Our study provides preliminary evidence that microfinance programs, like the one underpinning the BIGPIC Family intervention, may have the capacity to increase screening and disease management for some key diseases. Increased screening can dramatically decrease the public health burden of diseases through earlier detection and engagement in care [41]. Similar programs that address barriers to healthcare at multiple levels should be prioritized for further evaluation.…”

The correlation between neck circumference and risk factors in patients with hypertension

“…The diagnostic criteria for hypertension referred to the related guidelines, [ 10 , 11 ] which defining hypertension as: systolic blood pressure ≥140 and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, subject is taking hypertension medication. Dyslipidemia was defined as: total cholesterol ≥5.7 or LDL-C >3.3 or HDL-C <1.0 mmol/L.…”