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Nsanya MK, Abramson R, Kisigo GA, Hickner A, Nyanza EC, Peck RN, Kapiga SH. Hypertension among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023; 10:1251817. [PMID: 38155990 PMCID: PMC10754047 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1251817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hypertension (HTN) among adolescents is common in high-income countries, and leads to increased premature cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the prevalence of HTN among adolescents, associated risk factors and CVD complications are not well-described. Such data is needed for planning public health programs to prevent premature CVD in SSA. Methods We systematically searched 5 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and African Index Medicus) from their establishment to December 2021. Key search terms were: adolescent, arterial hypertension, and names of the 48 countries in SSA. We used Covidence® to manage the search results. The review was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) https://osf.io/p5sbt/. Results We identified 4,008 articles out of which we screened 3,088 abstracts, and reviewed 583 full-text articles. We finally included 92 articles that were published between 1968 to December 2021. The majority were cross-sectional studies (80%) and conducted in school settings (78%). The risk of bias was low for 59 studies (64.1%), moderate for 29 studies (31.5%), and high for 4 studies (4.3%). Overall, the prevalence of HTN varied widely from 0.18% to 34.0% with a median (IQR) of 5.5% (3.1%, 11.1%). It was relatively higher in studies using automated blood pressure (BP) devices, and in studies defining HTN using thresholds based on percentile BP distribution for one's height, age, and sex. In addition, the prevalence of HTN was significantly higher in studies from Southern Africa region of SSA and positively correlated with the year of publication. Across studies, traditional risk factors such as age, sex, body mass index, and physical inactivity, were commonly found to be associated with HTN. In contrast, non-traditional risk factors related to poverty and tropical diseases were rarely assessed. Only three studies investigated the CVD complications related to HTN in the study population. Conclusion The prevalence of HTN among adolescents in SSA is high indicating that this is a major health problem. Data on non-traditional risk factors and complications are scarce. Longitudinal studies are needed to clearly define the rates, causes, and complications of HTN. Systematic Review Registration https://osf.io/p5sbt/, identifier (10.17605/OSF.IO/P5SBT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mussa K Nsanya
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit/National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Rachel Abramson
- Weill Cornell Medicine - Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Godfrey A Kisigo
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit/National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andy Hickner
- Weill Cornell Medicine - Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Elias C Nyanza
- Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, School of Public Health, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Robert N Peck
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit/National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Weill Cornell Medicine - Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
- Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, School of Public Health, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Saidi H Kapiga
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit/National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Firima E, Retselisitsoe L, Leisa I, Manthabiseng M, Sematle MP, Bane M, Khomolishoele M, Gonzalez L, Gupta R, McCrosky S, Lee T, Chammartin F, Leigh B, Weisser M, Amstutz A, Burkard T, Labhardt ND. Head-to-head comparison of the WHO STEPwise approach with immediate unattended and delayed unattended automated blood pressure measurements during household-based screening: a diagnostic accuracy study in Lesotho. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 63:102197. [PMID: 37680951 PMCID: PMC10480531 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background WHO introduced the STEPwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) to monitor trends in non-communicable diseases. For arterial hypertension, the STEPS protocol takes the average of the last two out of three standard blood pressure measurements (SBPM). This study assesses the diagnostic accuracy of SBPM, same-day and next-day unattended automated measurement (uABP), with 24 h ambulatory measurement (24 h-ABPM) as reference. Methods This diagnostic accuracy study was done within a population-based household survey on cardiovascular risk factors in two districts in Northern Lesotho. Adults (aged ≥ 18 years) with elevated SBPM (defined as ≥140/90 mmHg), and 2:1 age- and sex-matched participants with normal SBPM during the survey were recruited. Following SBPM, first uABP readings were obtained on survey day. Afterwards, participants received a 24 h-ABPM device. Second uABP readings were taken 24 h later, after retrieval of the 24 h-ABPM. The main outcome was overall diagnostic accuracy of all screening measurements (SBPM, first uABP, and second uABP), determined using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), with 24 h-ABPM as a reference. Findings Between November 2, 2021 and August 31, 2022, 275 participants (mean age 58 years (SD: 16 years), 163 (59%) female) were enrolled, 183 of whom had elevated and 92 had normal SBPM. Mean difference between systolic daytime 24 h-ABPM and screening measurements was highest for SBPM (mean difference: -13 mmHg; 95% CI: -14 to -11). Mean difference between diastolic daytime 24 h-ABPM and diastolic SBPM was -2 mmHg (95% CI: -4 to -1), whereas no difference was found for mean diastolic first uABP (mean difference: -1 mmHg; 95% CI: -2.0 to 0.3); and mean diastolic second uABP (mean difference: 1.0 mmHg; 95% CI: -0.4 to 2.3). White coat hypertension was highest with SBPM (55 [20%]), followed by first uABP (27 [9.8%]), and second uABP (18 [6.5%]). Using systolic daytime 24 h-ABPM as a reference, the uABPs had higher AUROC (first uABP: 87% [95% CI: 83-91]; second uABP: 88% [95% CI: 84-92]); SBPM: (79% [95% CI: 74-85]). This difference was significant between first uABP and SBPM (P = 0.0024), and between second uABP and SBPM (P = 0.0017). Interpretation uABP had better diagnostic performance than SBPM. Integration of uABP into STEPS protocol should be considered. Funding Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation under the ComBaCaL project, and the World Diabetes Foundation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Firima
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lucia Gonzalez
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Ravi Gupta
- SolidarMed, Partnerships for Health, Maseru, Lesotho
| | - Stephen McCrosky
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tristan Lee
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Frédérique Chammartin
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Bailah Leigh
- College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), University of Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
| | - Maja Weisser
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania
| | - Alain Amstutz
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thilo Burkard
- Medical Outpatient Department and Hypertension Clinic, ESH Hypertension Centre of Excellence, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Niklaus Daniel Labhardt
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Chen A, Waite L, Mocumbi AO, Chan YK, Beilby J, Ojji DB, Stewart S. Elevated blood pressure among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health 2023; 11:e1238-e1248. [PMID: 37474231 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(23)00218-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND More people from sub-Saharan Africa aged between 20 years and 60 years are affected by end-organ damage due to underlying hypertension than people in high-income countries. However, there is a paucity of data on the pattern of elevated blood pressure among adolescents aged 10-19 years in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to provide pooled estimates of high blood pressure prevalence and mean levels in adolescents aged 10-19 years across sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Google Scholar, African Index Medicus, and Embase to identify studies published from Jan 1, 2010, to Dec 31, 2021. To be included, primary studies had to be observational studies of adolescents aged 10-19 years residing in sub-Saharan African countries reporting the pooled prevalence of elevated blood pressure or with enough data to compute these estimates. We excluded studies on non-systemic hypertension, in African people not living in sub-Saharan Africa, with participant selection based on the presence of hypertension, and with adult cohorts in which we could not disaggregate data for adolescents. We independently extracted relevant data from individual studies using a standard data extraction form. We used a random-effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence of elevated blood pressure and mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels overall and on a sex-specific basis. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022297948). FINDINGS We identified 2559 studies, and assessed 81 full-text studies for eligibility, of which 36 studies comprising 37 926 participants aged 10-19 years from ten (20%) of 49 sub-Saharan African countries were eligible. A pooled sample of 29 696 adolescents informed meta-analyses of elevated blood pressure and 27 155 adolescents informed meta-analyses of mean blood pressure. Sex data were available from 26 818 adolescents (14 369 [53·6%] were female and 12 449 [46·4%] were male) for the prevalence of elevated blood pressure and 23 777 adolescents (12 864 [54·1%] were female and 10 913 [45·9%] were male) for mean blood pressure. Study quality was high, with no low-quality studies. The reported prevalence of elevated blood pressure ranged from 4 (0·2%) of 1727 to 1755 (25·1%) of 6980 (pooled prevalence 9·9%, 95% CI 7·3-12·5; I?=99·2%, pheterogeneity<0·0001). Mean SBP was 111 mm Hg (95% CI 108-114) and mean DBP was 68 mm Hg (66-70). 13·4% (95% CI 12·9-13·9; pheterogeneity<0·0001) of male participants had elevated blood pressure compared with 11·9% (11·3-12·4; pheterogeneity<0·0001) of female participants (odds ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·81-1·34; pheterogeneity<0·0001). INTERPRETATION To our knowledge, this systematic review and meta-analysis is the first systematic synthesis of blood pressure data specifically derived from adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Although many low-income countries were not represented in our study, our findings suggest that approximately one in ten adolescents have elevated blood pressure across sub-Saharan Africa. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to improve preventive heart-health programmes in the region. FUNDING None.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Waite
- Victorian Department of Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ana O Mocumbi
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique; Instituto Nacional de Saúde, Marracuene, Mozambique
| | - Yih-Kai Chan
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Justin Beilby
- Torrens University Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Dike B Ojji
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria; Cape Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Simon Stewart
- Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique; Cape Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; Institute for Health Research, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, Australia.
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Sedekia Y, Mshana G, Nsanya MK, Kohl K, Wambura M, Grosskurth H, Ross DA, Kapiga S. Routine health check-ups for adolescents in Mwanza City, Tanzania: stakeholders' recommendations on its content, venue, and mode of delivery. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1015. [PMID: 37254079 PMCID: PMC10227790 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15956-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Routine adolescent health screening aiming at the detection of unnoticed medical problems may increase awareness among policy makers and contribute to improved health in this population. Research is needed to inform the World Health Organization (WHO) and national health programs to provide evidence-based guidance on whether public health systems should offer comprehensive adolescent health screening, what should be included in different contexts, and how it should be delivered. We conducted formative research to define the content and delivery strategies for health check-ups to be performed in young (10-14 years) and older (15-19 years) adolescents, and to assess whether such services are likely to be acceptable and feasible in Tanzania. METHODS As part of a collaborative research program coordinated by WHO in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe; Mwanza City, Tanzania; and Cape Coast, Ghana a series of key informant interviews were conducted from April to July 2020, using a semi-structured guide with purposively selected stakeholders from government departments, non-governmental and community-based organisations, schools and health facilities. Data transcripts were coded using NVivo 12 software and thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS We report results from 31 key informant interviews to address four main domains: proposed health conditions for routine health check-ups, health interventions to be combined with such check-ups, preferable venues, and the mode for delivering such screening activities. Stakeholders were supportive of introducing routine health check-ups among adolescents. They recommended focusing on non-communicable diseases, physical disabilities, common mental health problems, reproductive health problems, specific communicable diseases, and hygiene-related problems. They also recommended combining counselling and family planning information with these check-ups. Three venues were proposed: schools, community settings (to reach out-of-school adolescents), and youth-friendly health facilities (for conditions requiring a high level of confidentiality). CONCLUSIONS Stakeholders were supportive of the proposed routine health check-ups for adolescents, recommending specific health conditions to be screened for in both community and school settings. Based on the above, we plan to conduct implementation research to determine the number of new treatable conditions detected, and the costs of offering such services. In the longer term, evaluation of their health impact and cost-effectiveness will be required to guide policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yovitha Sedekia
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania.
| | - Gerry Mshana
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Mussa K Nsanya
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Kid Kohl
- The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Mwita Wambura
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Heiner Grosskurth
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - David A Ross
- Institute for Life Course Health Research, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Saidi Kapiga
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Abstract
Primary hypertension (PH) is most common during adolescence with increasing prevalence globally, alongside the epidemic of obesity. Unlike in adults, there are no data on children with uncontrolled hypertension and their future risk of hard cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes. However, hypertension in childhood is linked to hypertensive-mediated organ damage (HMOD) which is often reversible if treated appropriately. Despite differing guidelines regarding the threshold for defining hypertension, there is consensus that early recognition and prompt management with lifestyle modification escalating to antihypertensive medication is required to ameliorate adverse outcomes. Unfortunately, many unknowns remain regarding pathophysiology and optimum treatment of childhood hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Haseler
- Department of Paediatric Nephrology, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, Westminster Bridge Road, 3rd Floor Beckett House, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom; Kings College London, United Kingdom
| | - Manish D Sinha
- Department of Paediatric Nephrology, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, Westminster Bridge Road, 3rd Floor Beckett House, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom; Kings College London, United Kingdom.
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