Undiagnosed Hypertension and Its Associated Factors among Adult People Living in Southern Ethiopia: Evidence from Gunchire Woreda of Gurage Zone

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is defined as two or more readings of systolic blood pressure measurement of 130 mmHg or higher or diastolic blood pressure measurement of 80 mmHg or higher. In the early stages, symptoms of hypertension (HTN) are often not detectable and thus many people with the disease are left undiagnosed. Undiagnosed HTN increases the risk of complications such as renal failure, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke and premature death. There is paucity of data concerning undiagnosed hypertension in southern Ethiopia. This study is aimed to assess prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and its associated factors among adult peoples.Method: Community based Cross-sectional study design was conducted. English version questionnaire was used to collect data from 574 households. The data were collected and analyzed by SPSS version.23. The association between "blood pressure and socio-demographic characteristics', life style factors, behavioral factors..." was tested by using multivariate logistic regression at P-value less than 0.05 and 95% CI.Result: Out of 574 participants, 108 (18.8%) of the study participants were current cigarette smokers and 143 (24.9%) were khat chewers. A sedentary lifestyle was seen in 106 (18.5%) of the studied people. Undiagnosed HTN was observed in 47 (15.3%) of the study participants. A total of 260 (45.3%) of respondents were identified as having undiagnosed hypertension. Body mass index (BMI), sedentary life style, cigarettes smoking, health seeking behavior, dietary habit and monthly income were significant predictors of undiagnosed HTN. Conclusion:Almost 50% of the adult population in the southern of Ethiopia shows undiagnosed hypertension and this is significantly correlated with body mass index (BMI), sedentary life style, cigarettes smoking, health seeking behavior, dietary habit and monthly income.

Burden of undiagnosed hypertension and associated factors among adult populations in Wolaita Sodo Town, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

“…Finally, this study finding showed that participants who had alcohol drinking experience were significantly associated with hypertension. This finding agrees with studies done in Kenya [ 32 ], and Eastern Ethiopia, Jugal hospital [ 1 , 11 ]. This finding is also supported by clinical studies which stated that chronic alcohol consumption of more than three drinks per day contributes to the incidence of hypertension [ 8 ].…”

“… Hypertension : Is a high blood pressure having a systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DPB) ≥ 80 mm Hg on at least two occasions [ 3 ]. Undiagnosed hypertension : Refers to individuals who were hypertensive but did not report having been told by a health professional that they have hypertension [ 1 ]. Comorbid disease : a chronic disease with a confirmed diagnosis of a disease other than hypertension [ 23 ].…”

“…Undiagnosed hypertension : Refers to individuals who were hypertensive but did not report having been told by a health professional that they have hypertension [ 1 ].…”

“…Hypertension is defined as two or more readings of systolic blood pressure measurement of 130 mm Hg or higher or diastolic blood pressure measurement of 80 mm Hg or higher. Around one billion people are affected by hypertension, and it will increase to 1.5 billion by 2025 globally [ 1 ]. Undiagnosed hypertension is defined as individuals who were hypertensive but did not report having been told by a health professional that they have hypertension [ 2 ].…”

“…The burden of undiagnosed hypertension among adults in Urban Communities of Southwest Ethiopia was 21.2% [ 2 ], in Hawassa 12.3% [ 11 ], in Gurage Zone gunchire district, 15.3% [ 1 ], in Hosanna town 17.2% [ 12 ], in Bahir Dar City among bank workers 24.8% [ 3 ]. The existence of a high prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension definitely leads to a substantial-high risk for morbidity and mortality from potentially preventable complications of hypertension such as stroke renal failure, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and premature death from heart disease and the economic burden on the population in the world [ 5 , 12 ].…”