Prevalence, Awareness, and Control of Hypertension in Greater Beirut Area, Lebanon

Abstract

Background Hypertension (HTN) has been identified as the leading risk factor for mortality and the third cause of disability worldwide. Lebanon has witnessed a threefold increase in the prevalence of HTN in the past decade. The timely exploration and detection of the factors contributing to a higher prevalence of the disease among the Lebanese population is fundamental. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence, awareness, and control rates of HTN in Greater Beirut Area in Lebanon and to identify their respective predictors. Methods A representative sample of 501 participants aged 18-79 years residing in Greater Beirut Area was examined. Data collection form was filled up, through interviews, physical exams, and lab tests. The analysis was done for three defined outcomes: blood pressure status (normotensive, prehypertension, and hypertension), unaware HTN, and uncontrolled HTN. These were compared for the various associated predictors. Results The sample consisted of 64.3% women and mean age 45.4 ± 15 years and the subjects were predominantly from low educational income levels. The results showed that 36.4% of the study participants were hypertensive, 25.3% were prehypertensive, and 38.2% had optimal blood pressure, while the awareness rate was 65.4% and control rate was 61%. The independent predictors of HTN were age, gender, marital status, T2D, body fat, triglyceride (positive correlates), and income level (negative correlate). Moreover, unawareness of HTN was common among older age, men, single participants, and the obese. We could not identify any factor related to uncontrolled HTN. Conclusion The trend in the prevalence of HTN in Greater Beirut Area is found to be consistent and relatively high, yet there was an observed improvement in the awareness and control of the disease. Public health measures on a national level are urgently needed to curb the increasing prevalence of HTN, achieve primary prevention, and better control the disease.

Hypertension prevalence and control among community‐dwelling lebanese older adults

“…These results are in line with previous evidence from the literature that shows an increasing trend in hypertension prevalence among the general adult population with a higher burden among women, notably in the 70 + age‐group 3‐5 . A possible explanation is the reduction in health care seeking behavior among women toward older age and, thus, a decrease in their hypertension management and control 11 .…”

“…In Arab countries, such as Lebanon, where the increase in the proportion of older adults is prominent, knowledge about hypertension prevalence and control is limited in the absence of updated national registries. Nonetheless, available evidence shows an increasing prevalence of hypertension throughout the years and low levels of awareness and control in the general Lebanese adult population 3‐5 . With the lack of data from an exclusive elderly population, the re‐examination of the burden of hypertension and the level of management of the disease is needed to allow for better prevention.…”

Survey on the Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension among Tibetans at High-altitude in China Ngawa

“…It was disagreed with the results from other studies [28,29], this study showed that female hypertension patients had lower effective awareness and treatment rate of BP than their male counterparts. We hypothesized that women in this group had low social status owing to their traditional customs.…”

“…Maybe the high prevalence of the disease in their families helps them to better understand hypertension and prompts them to be more proactive in treating it. This trend was also mentioned in the Lebanon population in 2018 [29].…”

Self-monitoring of blood pressure to improve hypertension management in a middle-income country: A proof of concept study

“…Global data show that control of blood pressure is poor (7-9) especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) with a recent review indicating that only 10% of hypertensive adults in LMICs have their blood pressure under control (10). In Arab countries, less than third of hypertensive patients have controlled blood pressure, according to a recent review (11), and in Lebanon, a middle-income country of the Arab region (12), control rates are suboptimal and comparable to the regional average (10,13,14).…”