Cardiovascular risk assessment among rural population: findings from a cohort study in a peripheral region of Bangladesh

Estimated total cardiovascular risk in a rural area of Bangladesh: a household level cross-sectional survey done by local community health workers

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to estimate 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Bangladeshi rural community residents, using the 2014 WHO/International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) risk prediction charts.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional population-based study done by local community healthcare workers engaging the lowest level facilities of the primary healthcare system.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1545 rural adults aged ≥40 years of Debhata upazila of Satkhira district of Bangladesh participated in this survey done in 2015. The community health workers collected data on age, smoking, blood pressure, blood glucose and treatment history of diabetes and hypertension.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

We estimated total 10-year CVD risk using the WHO/ISH South East Asia Region-D charts without cholesterol and categorised the risk into low (<10%), moderate (10%-19.9%), high (20%-29.9%) and very high (≥30%).

RESULTS

The participants' mean age (±SD) was 53.9±11.6 years. Overall, the 10-year CVD risks (%, 95% CI) were as follows: low risk (81.6%, 95% CI 78.4% to 84.6%), moderate risk (9.9%, 95% CI 7.4% to 12.1%), high risk (5.8%, 95% CI 4.4% to 7.2%) and very high risk (2.8%, 95% CI 1.5% to 4.1%). In women, moderate to very high risks were higher (moderate 12.1%, high 6.1% and very high 3.7%) compared with men (moderate 7.5%, high 5.5% and very high 1.9%) but none of these were statistically significant. The age-standardised prevalence of very high risk increased from 2.9% (0.7%-5.2%) to 8.5% (5%-12%) when those with anti-hypertensive medication having controlled blood pressure (<140/90 mm Hg) added.

CONCLUSION

The very high-risk estimates could be used for planning resource for CVD prevention programme at upazila level. There is a need for a national level study, covering diversities of rural areas, to contribute to national planning of CVD prevention.

Estimation of total cardiovascular risk using the 2019 WHO CVD prediction charts and comparison of population-level costs based on alternative drug therapy guidelines: a population-based study of adults in Bangladesh

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to estimate the population distribution of 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Bangladeshi adults aged 40 years and above, using the 2019 WHO CVD risk prediction charts. Additionally, we compared the cost of CVD pharmacological treatment based on the total CVD risk (thresholds ≥30%/≥20%) and the single risk factor (hypertension) cut-off levels in the Bangladeshi context.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional, population-based study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

From 2013 to 2014, we collected data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of adults aged ≥40 years from urban and rural areas of Bangladesh (n=6189). We estimated CVD risk using the 2019 WHO CVD risk prediction charts and categorised as very low (<5%), low (5% to <10%), moderate (10% to <20%), high (20% to <30%) and very high risk (≥30%). We estimated drug therapy costs using the lowest price of each drug class available (aspirin, thiazide diuretics, statins and ACE inhibitors). We compared the total cost of drug therapy using the total CVD risk versus single risk factor approach.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Our primary outcome was 10-year CVD risk categorised as very low (<5%), low (5% to <10%), moderate (10% to <20%), high (20% to <30%) and very high risk (≥30%).

RESULTS

The majority of adults (85.2%, 95% CI 84.3 to 86.1) have a 10-year CVD risk of less than 10%. The proportion of adults with a 10-year CVD risk of ≥20% was 0.51%. Only one adult was categorised with a 10-year CVD risk of ≥30%. Among adults with CVD risk groups of very low, low and moderate, 17.4%, 27.9% and 41.4% had hypertension (blood pressure (BP) ≥140/90) and 0.1%, 1.7% and 2.9% had severe hypertension (BP ≥160/100), respectively. Using the total CVD risk approach would reduce drug costs per million populations to US$144 540 (risk of ≥20%).

CONCLUSION

To reduce healthcare expenditure for the prevention and treatment of CVD, a total risk approach using the 2019 WHO CVD risk prediction charts may lead to cost savings.

Hypertension prevalence and its trend in Bangladesh: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Hypertension, itself being a major chronic condition, is one of the most significant risk factors for premature cardiovascular diseases and mortality. Hypertension is responsible for 13% of global deaths and three-quarters of the world’s hypertensive population reside in low- and middle-income countries. Bangladesh is one of those countries that experiencing an epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases, a nutritional transition from a traditional diet to process and fast food, and an increase in a sedentary lifestyle, resulting in increased hypertension prevalence. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify existing research on hypertension prevalence in Bangladesh, summarize findings and assess its temporal change.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and PubMed and relevant references to identify studies on the prevalence of hypertension in Bangladesh. We used Random-effects meta-analysis to pool the prevalence estimates and performed subgroup analyses. We assessed heterogeneity, a trend in prevalence of hypertension and publication bias in selected studies.

Results

Our search initially identified 735 articles and after removing duplicates, reviewing titles and abstracts, and screening full texts, 53 studies were finally selected. The studies comprised 305,432 subjects and reported overall, gender-specific, geographical location specific and criteria specific prevalence of hypertension. We identified the range of hypertension prevalence is from 1.10% to 75.0% and the overall weighted pooled prevalence of hypertension is 20.0%. An extremely high heterogeneity (I² = 99.53%; Cochran Q-statistic p < 0.001) was observed in the prevalence of hypertension. Consequently, we performed subgroup analysis based on gender, age group and geographical location of the study participants, the cut-off level used to define hypertension, and the types of hypertension reported and presented our findings accordingly. An overall increasing trend of hypertension prevalence is also observed.

Conclusions

The prevalence of hypertension is high and rising in Bangladesh. Strategies targeting prevention are required to mitigate a further increase in the prevalence and reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with it.

Distribution of diabetes, hypertension and non-communicable disease risk factors among adults in rural Bangladesh: a cross-sectional survey

Background

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing in low-income settings. We conducted a survey of risk factors, blood pressure and blood glucose in rural Bangladesh and assessed variations by age, sex and wealth.

Methods

We surveyed a random sample of 12 280 adults aged >30 years in 96 villages in rural Bangladesh. Fieldworkers measured blood glucose and conducted an glucose tolerance test with a repeat blood test 120 min post glucose ingestion. Blood pressure, anthropometric, socioeconomic, lifestyle and behavioural risk factors data were also collected. Data were analysed to describe the prevalence of diabetes, intermediate hyperglycaemia, hypertension and NCD risk factors by age, sex and wealth.

Results

Women had higher levels of overweight or obesity and lower levels of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption than men; 63% of men used tobacco compared with 41.3% of women. Overweight or obesity and abdominal obesity (waist to hip ratio) increased with socioeconomic status (least poor vs most poor: OR (95% CI) 3.21 (2.51 to 4.11) for men and 2.83 (2.28 to 3.52) for women). Tobacco use, passive smoke exposure and salt consumption fell with increasing socioeconomic status in both sexes. Clustering of risk factors showed more than 70% of men and women reported at least three risk factors. Women in the least poor group were 33% more likely to have three or more risk factors compared with women in the most poor group (1.33 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.58)). The combined prevalence of impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes was 26.1% among men and 34.9% among women, and increased with age. The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension was 30.7% and 15.9% among men and 27.2% and 22.5% among women, with similar rising prevalence with age.

Conclusion

NCD risk factors, hyperglycaemia and raised blood pressure are an immediate health threat in rural Bangladesh. Initiatives to improve detection, treatment and prevention strategies are needed.

Epidemiologic studies targeting primary cardiovascular disease prevention in South Asia

South Asia has experienced a 73% increase in healthy life years lost due to ischemic heart disease between 1990 and 2010. There is a lack of quality data relating to cardiovascular risk factors and disease from this region. Several observational and prospective cohorts in South Asia have been established in recent times to evaluate the burden of cardiovascular disease and their risk factors. The Prospective Rural Urban Epidemiology (PURE) study is the largest of these studies that has provided data on social, environmental, behavioral and biologic risk factors that influence heart disease and diabetes. Some studies have also borrowed data from large datasets to provide meaningful insights. These studies have allowed a better understanding of cardiovascular disease risk factors indigenous to the South Asian population along with conventional risk factors. Culturally sensitive interventions geared towards treating risk factors identified in these studies are needed to fully realize the true potential of these epidemiologic studies.

Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Disease: an Update

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The aim of this paper is to summarize the recent and relevant evidence linking socioeconomic status (SES) to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs).

RECENT FINDINGS

In high-income countries (HICs), the evidence continues to expand, with meta-analyses of large longitudinal cohort studies consistently confirming the inverse association between SES and several CVD and CVRFs. The evidence remains limited in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where most of the evidence originates from cross-sectional studies of varying quality and external validity; the available evidence indicates that the association between SES and CVD and CVRFs depends on the socioeconomic development context and the stage in the demographic, epidemiological, and nutrition transition of the population. The recent evidence confirms that SES is strongly inversely associated with CVD and CVRFs in HICs. However, there remains a need for more research to better understand the way socioeconomic circumstances become embodied in early life and throughout the life course to affect cardiovascular risk in adult and later life. In LMICs, the evidence remains scarce; thus, there is an urgent need for large longitudinal studies to disaggregate CVD and CVRFs by socioeconomic indicators, particularly as these countries already suffer the greatest burden of CVD.