Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Nigeria in 1995 and 2020: A systematic analysis of current evidence
- PMID: 33600078
- PMCID: PMC8678849
- DOI: 10.1111/jch.14220
Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Nigeria in 1995 and 2020: A systematic analysis of current evidence
Abstract
Improved understanding of the current burden of hypertension, including awareness, treatment, and control, is needed to guide relevant preventative measures in Nigeria. A systematic search of studies on the epidemiology of hypertension in Nigeria, published on or after January 1990, was conducted. The authors employed random-effects meta-analysis on extracted crude hypertension prevalence, and awareness, treatment, and control rates. Using a meta-regression model, overall hypertension cases in Nigeria in 1995 and 2020 were estimated. Fifty-three studies (n = 78 949) met our selection criteria. Estimated crude prevalence of pre-hypertension (120-139/80-89 mmHg) in Nigeria was 30.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.0%-39.7%), and the crude prevalence of hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) was 30.6% (95% CI: 27.3%-34.0%). When adjusted for age, study period, and sample, absolute cases of hypertension increased by 540% among individuals aged ≥20 years from approximately 4.3 million individuals in 1995 (age-adjusted prevalence 8.6%, 95% CI: 6.5-10.7) to 27.5 million individuals with hypertension in 2020 (age-adjusted prevalence 32.5%, 95% CI: 29.8-35.3). The age-adjusted prevalence was only significantly higher among men in 1995, with the gap between both sexes considerably narrowed in 2020. Only 29.0% of cases (95% CI: 19.7-38.3) were aware of their hypertension, 12.0% (95% CI: 2.7-21.2) were on treatment, and 2.8% (95% CI: 0.1-5.7) had at-goal blood pressure in 2020. Our study suggests that hypertension prevalence has substantially increased in Nigeria over the last two decades. Although more persons are aware of their hypertension status, clinical treatment and control rates, however, remain low. These estimates are relevant for clinical care, population, and policy response in Nigeria and across Africa.
Keywords: Nigeria; clinical management; high blood pressure; hypertension; prevalence.
© 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Conflict of interest statement
DBO and MOH declare funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). All other authors declare no competing interests.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Folic acid supplementation and malaria susceptibility and severity among people taking antifolate antimalarial drugs in endemic areas.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Feb 1;2(2022):CD014217. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014217. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022. PMID: 36321557 Free PMC article.
-
The prevalence and risk factors of pre-hypertension and hypertension among clinical students at the university of Ibadan, Nigeria.BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2025 May 23;25(1):393. doi: 10.1186/s12872-025-04852-z. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2025. PMID: 40410663 Free PMC article.
-
High prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension among men in North Central Nigeria: Results from the Healthy Beginning Initiative.PLoS One. 2020 Nov 30;15(11):e0242870. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242870. eCollection 2020. PLoS One. 2020. PMID: 33253296 Free PMC article.
-
Prevalence and correlates of prehypertension and hypertension among adults in Delta State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional community-based study.Ghana Med J. 2020 Mar;54(1):48-57. doi: 10.4314/gmj.v54i1.8. Ghana Med J. 2020. PMID: 32863413 Free PMC article.
-
Estimating the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria in 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Ann Med. 2021 Dec;53(1):495-507. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2021.1897665. Ann Med. 2021. PMID: 33783281 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
Multi-stakeholder workshop on reducing population-wide dietary sodium intake in Nigeria.Eur Heart J. 2024 Sep 14;45(35):3192-3194. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae461. Eur Heart J. 2024. PMID: 39158473 No abstract available.
-
Heart failure in Nigeria: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.Afr Health Sci. 2023 Jun;23(2):530-536. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v23i2.61. Afr Health Sci. 2023. PMID: 38223635 Free PMC article.
-
Assessment of hypertension service availability in some primary health centres in Nigeria: a mixed-methods study.BMJ Open. 2023 Aug 8;13(8):e073833. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073833. BMJ Open. 2023. PMID: 37553197 Free PMC article.
-
Association between sleep quality and blood pressure control among hypertensive patients at a rural tertiary hospital in Southern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.BMJ Open. 2024 Mar 8;14(3):e079774. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079774. BMJ Open. 2024. PMID: 38458777 Free PMC article.
-
The pattern and burden of non-communicable diseases in armed conflict-exposed populations in Northeastern Nigeria.PeerJ. 2025 Jan 17;13:e18520. doi: 10.7717/peerj.18520. eCollection 2025. PeerJ. 2025. PMID: 39834789 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Danaei G, Finucane MM, Lin JK, et al. National, regional, and global trends in systolic blood pressure since 1980: systematic analysis of health examination surveys and epidemiological studies with 786 country‐years and 54 million participants. Lancet. 2011;377(9765):568‐577. - PubMed
-
- Forouzanfar MH, Liu P, Roth GA, et al. Global burden of hypertension and systolic blood pressure of at least 110 to 115 mmHg, 1990–2015. JAMA. 2017;317(2):165‐182. - PubMed
-
- World Health Organization . Global brief on hypertension. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.
-
- Ekere AU, Yellowe BE, Umune S. Mortality patterns in the accident and emergency department of an urban hospital in Nigeria. Niger J Clin Pract. 2005;8(1):14‐18. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
Miscellaneous