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. 2021 Nov;26(11):1470-1480.
doi: 10.1111/tmi.13664. Epub 2021 Aug 18.

Evaluating the cascade of care for hypertension in Sierra Leone

Tessa J M Geraedts  1 , Daniel Boateng  1 , Karel C Lindenbergh  2 , Diede van Delft  3 , Hanna M Mathéron  3   4 , Gulia L E Mönnink  4 , Janine P J Martens  5 , Daniel van Leerdam  6   7 , Jonathan Vas Nunes  3   4 , Sonnia-Magba Bu-Buakei Jabbi  8 , Mohamed S Kpaka  5 , Josien Westendorp  5   6 , Alex J van Duinen  5   6 , Osman Sankoh  8   9 , Martin P Grobusch  3   4 , Håkon A Bolkan  5   10 , Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch  1
Affiliations

Evaluating the cascade of care for hypertension in Sierra Leone

Tessa J M Geraedts et al. Trop Med Int Health. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the care for hypertension in Sierra Leone, by the use of a cascade-of-care approach, to identify where the need for healthcare system interventions is greatest.

Methods: Using data from a nationwide household survey on surgical conditions undertaken in 1956 participants ≥18 years from October 2019 to March 2020, a cascade of care for hypertension consisting of four categories - hypertensive population, those diagnosed, those treated and those controlled - was constructed. Hypertension was defined as having a blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg, or self-reported use of antihypertensive medication. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated with undiagnosed hypertension.

Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 22%. Among those with hypertension, 23% were diagnosed, 11% were treated and 5% had controlled blood pressure. The largest loss to care (77%) was between being hypertensive and receiving a diagnosis. Male sex, age and living in a rural location, were significantly associated with the odds of undiagnosed hypertension. There was no significant difference between men and women in the number of patients with controlled blood pressure. Adults aged 40 or older were observed to be better retained in care compared with those younger than 40 years of age.

Conclusion: There is a significant loss to care in the care cascade for hypertension in Sierra Leone. Our results suggest that increasing awareness of cardiovascular risk and risk factor screening for early diagnosis might have a large impact on hypertension care.

Keywords: Sierra Leone; care cascade; hypertension; low resource setting; sub-Saharan Africa.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Prevalence of hypertension by age categories for the study population and for men and women separately. * All participants aged 18 and older
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
(a) Hypertension care cascade, PRESSCO 2020 study adults aged 18 years and older. The first bar represents the entire hypertensive population, each bar after this represents a percentage of that group. The arrows between bars represent the percentage of patients lost between each step of the care cascade. (b) Hypertension care cascade for men and women, PRESSCO 2020 study. The first bar represents the entire hypertensive population, each bar after this represents a percentage of that group. The arrows between bars represent the percentage of patients lost between each step for men and women separately. (c) Hypertension care cascade by age groups, PRESSCO 2020 study. The first bar represents the entire hypertensive population, each bar after this represents a percentage of that group. The arrows between bars represent the percentage of patients lost between each step for both age groups separately
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