May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Cameroon

Hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa: the current profile, recent advances, gaps, and priorities

Recent global and regional reports consistently confirm the high and increasing prevalence of hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with poor detection, treatment, and control rates. This narrative review summarises the burden of hypertension in SSA and recent findings from community-based hypertension management strategies. We further outline prominent risk factors according to recent data and associated underlying mechanisms for hypertension development. An extensive review of literature showed that most countries have reported on the prevalence of hypertension during 2017-2023, despite limitations linked to the lack of nationally representative studies, heterogeneity of sampling and data collection methods. Task-shifting approaches that assign roles to model patients and community health workers reported improved linkage to healthcare services and adherence to medication, with inconsistent findings on blood pressure (BP)-lowering effects over time. The regularly reported risk factors include unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, increased adiposity and underweight, ageing, level of education, and/or income as well as psychosocial factors. Newer data on the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to hypertension and potential areas of intervention are reported from children and adults and include, among others, salt-handling and volume overload, endothelial function, BP dipping patterns and the role of human immunodeficiency virus . To conclude, significant strides have been made in data reporting from SSA on the burden of hypertension in the region as well as biomarker research to improve understanding and identification of areas of intervention. However, gaps remain on linkage between knowledge generation, translation, and implementation research. Coordinated studies addressing both discovery science and public health are crucial to curb hypertension development and improve management in SSA.

Leukocyte ratios in non-diabetic hypertensive Cameroonians do not predict cardiovascular risk : preliminary results of the HYRICCA project

BACKGROUND

Full blood count is routinely performed in the evaluation of hypertensive patients. However, usefulness of leukocyte ratios in cardiovascular risk (CVR) assessment hasn't yet been proven in Cameroonians.

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate the contribution of leukocyte ratios in CVR assessment of non-diabetic hypertensive adults.

METHODOLOGY

We carried out a cross sectional study including non-diabetic hypertensive patients followed up at the cardiology unit of the Yaoundé Central Hospital from November to June 2022. We collected relevant clinical data with a pre-established questionnaire and blood samples from each patient for different biological analyses. The spearman correlation test was used to assess on the one hand the relationship between leukocyte ratios, highly sensitive CRP and the WHO 2019 risk score as our primary end point, and on the other hand between leukocyte indices and the other risk estimators as our secondary outcome. The significant threshold level was set as 0.05.

RESULTS

We included 165 participants (102 females) with a mean age of 57.6 (10.4) years. The median duration of hypertension since diagnosis was 7 years and only 27% of participants on treatment had a controlled blood pressure. There was no significant correlation between leukocyte ratios and the WHO 2019 risk score. Highly sensitive CRP and the atherogenic index of plasma were significantly correlated respectively with the granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio (rho = 0.18, p = 0.03) and the eosinophil to lymphocyte ratio (rho = 0.28, p = 0.01). There exists a weak positive association between the granulocyte to lymphocyte ratio and the Reynolds risk score.

CONCLUSION

Leukocyte ratios are not useful for CVR assessment in hypertensive Cameroonians with respect to the WHO 2019 risk score. Prospective studies are needed to assess their usefulness in combination with conventional risk factors to improve prediction of cardiovascular events.

Care Cascades for Hypertension in Low-Income Settings: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The hypertension care cascade (HCC) is increasingly being used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. This systematic review aims to examine HCC in low-income settings. Methods: The search strategy included articles published between January 2010 and April 2023. We excluded studies with incomplete HCC, on fragile patients or aged <18 years, reviews. We used the MOOSE guideline. Five researchers retrieved data on the survey year, country, population, HCC and diagnostic methods for hypertension. We used JBI Critical Appraisal Tools for quality assessment. Results: Ninety-five articles were analyzed. Average hypertension prevalence was 33% (95% CI: 31%-34%), lower in LICs than in LMICs (25% vs. 34%). The overall mean awareness of hypertension was 48% (95% CI: 45%-51%), its treatment was 35% (95% IC: 32%-38%) and its control 16% (95% CI: 14%-18%). In almost all steps, percentages were lower in LICs and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Conclusion: Trends in HCC vary between countries, with poorer performance in LICs. This review highlights the need for interventions tailored to low-income settings in order to improve hypertension care.

Optimizing Hypertension Control Globally: WHF Roadmap

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Hypertension represents the most important cardiovascular risk factor, affecting over 4.06 billion adults worldwide. In this review, we will discuss potential barriers and their solutions to improve prevention, detection, and management of hypertension.

RECENT FINDINGS

The prevalence of hypertension has been increasing in low- and middle-income countries, requiring new strategies to improve its recognition and proper management. The World Heart Federation (WHF) developed a roadmap for hypertension, advising health system policies and clinical practices as part of its commitment to improving global cardiovascular health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published in 2021 practical guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults. Identifying potential roadblocks and solutions deserves high priority to improve the detection, management, and control of hypertension.

Gamma glutamyl transferases in association with cardiovascular risk scores in non-diabetic hypertensive Cameroonians: preliminary data from HYRICCA study

Objective

The usefulness of gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) as biomarker of cardiovascular risk (CVR) remains unexplored in sub-Saharan Africans. To evaluate their relevance on CVR assessment in non-diabetic hypertensive Cameroonians. This was a prospective cross-sectional study on non-diabetic hypertensive adults aged 57.7 ± 10 years (62% female), without evidence of acute or chronic liver disease, in which we assessed GGT levels and correlates it with validated CVR biomarkers, CVR scores (WHO risk score, Framingham 2008, ASCVD 2013, EuroSCORE 2003, and Reynolds score), and plasma atherogenic index (PAI).

Results

We found a positive but weak association between GGT and PAI on linear regression [0.004 (0.001; 0.007); p = 0.021], which was dependent of triglycerides levels (r = 0.17; p = 0.03). We did not find a significant association between GGT levels and the results of the CVR scores studied; Although being related to atherogenic risk, as reported in literature in non-sub-Saharan Africans, GGTs would be of little value for CVR assessment in our population.