Prevalence of Controlled Blood Pressure among Hypertensive Patients and Determinants of Hypertensive Complications in a Nigerian Population

Abstract

Background: The impact of uncontrolled hypertension results in undesirable cardiovascular events. Hence, there is a need to emphasize on adequate control of blood pressure. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and determinants of controlled blood pressure and the complications of hypertension in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of 257 patients of Cardiology Unit of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital diagnosed with hypertension from 2014 to 2018. A proforma-designed questionnaire was used to retrieve responses from the patients’ medical records. Data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: The prevalence of controlled blood pressure was 35.8% with mean blood pressure of 112.39/72.72 mmHg. Adherence to drug therapy was found to be associated with controlled blood pressure (χ2 = 8.370, P = 0.005). Two-thirds of patients diagnosed with hypertension developed complications of which hypertensive heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney diseases were the commonest. Age (χ2 = 9.629, P = 0.008) and the initial presenting diagnosis (χ2 = 7.662, P = 0.004) were factors associated with the development of complications. Conclusion: Adequate blood pressure control is still a challenge among hypertensive patients in the study population. A comprehensive program is advocated for the control of blood pressure that will accommodate drug adherence in addition to education, and socio-behavioral change modifications.

Keywords

• blood pressure
• complications
• hypertension
• nigeria
• risk factors