Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus among Patients at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Hawassa, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background. The burden of noncommunicable disease (NCD) in Africa is on a remarkable rise exacerbating the poor public health status affected by the existing but yet unsolved communicable disease. In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of evidence regarding prevalence and risk factors to NCD. Objective. This study sought to determine the prevalence of risk factors of NCDs, prevalence of DM and HTN, and risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN). Method. This is an institution based cross-sectional study conducted on a sample of 411 clients attending a university-based comprehensive specialized hospital in Southern Ethiopia. The data was collected by using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire and observational checklist. Frequency, proportions, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted using SPSS software version 20. Result. We identified 64.2% of the clients had at least one of the risk factors to the NCDs. One-third (33.3%) had physical inactivity, whereas 20.2% had a BMI of ≥ 25%. The prevalence of DM and HTN was 12.2% and 10.5%, respectively. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that age ≥ 60 years, physical inactivity, higher BMI, and cigarette smoking were risk factors for at least one of the NCDs. Conclusion. The prevalence of DM and prevalence of HTN were high. The magnitudes of risk factors to NCDs among the study population were substantial. Higher BMI, physical inactivity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol use, khat chewing, and cigarette smoking were among the prevailing risk factors identified.

Prevalence and associated factors of hypertension among adults in Gadarif in eastern Sudan: a community-based study

“…No significant associations were found between hypertension and the marital status, education level, alcohol consumption or smoking habit factors in Uganda [14]. Previous studies have shown that smoking is associated with hypertension [8]. Interestingly, the rates for both smoking (2.5%) and alcohol consumption (0.33%) were low in our survey.…”

“…Conversely, a lower rate (28.0%) of hypertension was reported in Tanzania [13] and in a population-based sectional study that enrolled 67,397 participants in Ethiopia (31.9%) [24]. In neighbouring Ethiopia, while a low rate (10.5%) of hypertension was reported in a hospital-based study [8], a prevalence rate of 34.7% for hypertension was reported in the capital, Addis Ababa [10]. In a metaanalysis of 43,025 older adults (> 53 years) in 15 African countries, it was reported that the overall pooled prevalence of hypertension was 57.0% (ranging from 22.3 to 90.0%) [25].…”

“…Because of our study design (controlled for age), it might not be valid to compare our results (age and hypertension) with the results of the large study that was recently conducted in four states (Khartoum, Gezira, Blue Nile and Kassala) in Sudan [15]. Several studies have shown that an older age is significantly associated with hypertension in neighbouring countries, including Ethiopia [8,9,11], Tanzania [13] and Madagascar [12]. Similarly, a recent metaanalysis including 43,025 older adults (> 53 years) in 15 African countries showed that an older age is independently associated with hypertension [25].…”

“…Our finding showing an association between obesity and hypertension is consistent with the findings that were recently reported for four states (Khartoum, Gezira, Blue Nile and Kassala) in Sudan [15]. Several previous studies conducted in Africa-e.g., Uganda [14], Ethiopia [8,10,11] and Madagascar [12]-have reported significant associations between obesity and hypertension. In a recent meta-analysis of 43,025 adults in 15 African countries, overweight/obesity was shown to be independently associated with hypertension [25].…”

“…Hypertension is the leading risk factor worldwide for mortality from cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and ischaemic heart disease [4,5]. Various factors, such as an individual's age [6,7], smoking [8], consuming alcohol [9] and obesity [8,[10][11][12], were reported as factors associated with hypertension.…”