Prevalence of Hypertension among Patients Attending Mobile Medical Clinics in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan

Influence of comorbidity of chronic diseases on basic activities of daily living among older adults in China: a propensity score-matched study

Rationale

With the accelerating process of population aging, the comorbidity of chronic disease (CCD) has become a major public health problem that threatens the health of older adults.

Objective

This study aimed to assess whether CCD is associated with basic activities of daily living (BADL) and explore the factors influencing BADL in older adults.

Method

A cross-sectional community health survey with stratified random sampling among older residents (≥60 years old) was conducted in 2022. A questionnaire was used to collect information on BADL, chronic diseases, and other relevant aspects. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to match the older adults with and without CCD. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore the factors influencing BADL. PSM was used to match participants with single-chronic disease (SCD) and CCD.

Results

Among the 47,720 participants, those with CCD showed a higher prevalence of BADL disability (13.07%) than those with no CCD (6.33%) and SCD (7.39%). After adjusting for potential confounders with PSM, 6,513 pairs of cases with and without CCD were matched. The univariate analysis found that the older adults with CCD had a significantly higher prevalence of BADL disability (13.07%, 851 of 6,513) than those without CCD (9.83%, 640 of 6,513, P < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that CCD was a risk factor for BADL in older adults [OR = 1.496, 95% CI: 1.393-1.750, P < 0.001]. In addition, age, educational level, alcohol intake, social interaction, annual physical examination, retirement benefits, depression, weekly amount of exercise, and years of exercise were related to BADL disability (P < 0.05). PSM matching was performed on participants with CCD and SCD and showed that the older adults with CCD had a significantly higher prevalence of BADL disability (13.07%, 851 of 6,513) than those with SCD (11.39%, 742 of 6,513, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The older adults with CCD are at a higher risk of BADL disability than their counterparts with no CCD or SCD. Therefore, we advocate paying attention to and taking measures to improve the health and quality of life of these individuals.

Management of hypertensive crisis: British and Irish Hypertension Society Position document

Patients with hypertensive emergencies, malignant hypertension and acute severe hypertension are managed heterogeneously in clinical practice. Initiating anti-hypertensive therapy and setting BP goal in acute settings requires important considerations which differ slightly across various diagnoses and clinical contexts. This position paper by British and Irish Hypertension Society, aims to provide clinicians a framework for diagnosing, evaluating, and managing patients with hypertensive crisis, based on the critical appraisal of available evidence and expert opinion.

The Role of Cardiac Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Hypertensive Emergency

There is a growing interest in the role of biomarkers in differentiating hypertensive emergency from hypertensive urgency. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic utility of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hscTnT), and N-terminal prohormone of brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for identifying hypertensive emergency. A diagnosis of hypertensive emergency was made based on a systolic blood pressure of ≥180 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure of ≥110 mmHg with acute hypertension-mediated organ damage. The predictive value of LDH, hscTnT, NT-proBNP, and models of these biomarkers for hypertensive emergency was determined using the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC). There were 66 patients (66.7% male) with a hypertensive emergency and 16 (31.3% male) with hypertensive urgency. LDH, NT-proBNP, and hscTnT were significantly higher in hypertensive emergency. Serum LDH > 190 U/L and high creatinine were associated with hypertensive emergency. LDH had an AUC ranging from 0.87 to 0.92 for the spectrum of hypertensive emergencies, while hscTnT had an AUC of 0.82 to 0.92, except for neurological emergencies, in which the AUC was 0.72. NT-proBNP was only useful in predicting acute pulmonary edema (AUC of 0.89). A model incorporating LDH with hscTnT had an AUC of 0.92 to 0.97 for the spectrum of hypertensive emergencies. LDH in isolation or combined with hscTnT correctly identified hypertensive emergency in patients presenting with hypertensive crisis. The routine assessment of these biomarkers has the potential to facilitate the timely identification of hypertensive emergencies, especially in patients with subtle and subclinical target organ injury.

Factors associated with medication adherence of hypertensive patients in the Philippines: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Diseases of the heart and vascular system are the leading cause of mortality in the Philippines. Hypertension, the most important modifiable risk factor, has a prevalence rate of 28% and a control rate of 20%. Despite the proven efficacy of pharmacologic treatment, medication adherence is reported to be as low as 66%. While there are publications that reported factors that affect adherence in Filipinos, there are no existing research that evaluated them systematically. This review is conducted to present and synthesize findings of published literatures.

METHODS

Databases-PubMed, Scopus, Wiley Online library, Science Direct, JSTOR, Web of Science, SAGE journals, and Cochrane-were used to search for articles published from 2000 to 2020 that studied medication adherence in adult Filipino hypertensive population. Out of the initial 1514 articles, 15 articles met the criteria and were included in the analysis. The evidence from the included studies was summarized and discussed in a narrative review using the World Health Organization framework for adherence to long-term therapies as the framework.

RESULT

The factors that were positively associated with adherence were health care system-related factors: good patient-health provider relationship, accessibility of health services, use of specialty clinics and programs for hypertension, and health insurance. The factors found to be negatively associated with adherence are (1) social economic factors: younger age, single civil status, low educational attainment, and unemployment; (2) patient-related factors: low in health literacy and awareness, knowledge on hypertension, attitude towards hypertension, self-efficacy, and social support; (3) therapy-related factors: inconsistent drug regimen schedule, use of Thiazide and complementary and alternative medicines; (4) condition-related factors: low illness perception, and absence of comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings should be interpreted with caution because of methodological limitations. Despite this, given that health systems related factors are modifiable, they can be the focus of interventions and future researches to increase medication adherence. Clinicians may also want to screen their Filipino hypertensive patients for factors that are associated to low adherence in order to provide a tailored advice. Longitudinal research studies with heterogeneous samples of hypertensive Filipinos are imperative so that targeted interventions can be developed for the population.

A systematic review of the burden of hypertension, access to services and patient views of hypertension in humanitarian crisis settings

INTRODUCTION

Globally, a record number of people are affected by humanitarian crises caused by conflict and natural disasters. Many such populations live in settings where epidemiological transition is underway. Following the United Nations high level meeting on non-communicable diseases, the global commitment to Universal Health Coverage and needs expressed by humanitarian agencies, there is increasing effort to develop guidelines for the management of hypertension in humanitarian settings. The objective was to investigate the prevalence and incidence of hypertension in populations directly affected by humanitarian crises; the cascade of care in these populations and patient knowledge of and attitude to hypertension.

METHODS

A literature search was carried out in five databases. Grey literature was searched. The population of interest was adult, non-pregnant, civilians living in any country who were directly exposed to a crisis since 1999. Eligibility assessment, data extraction and quality appraisal were carried out in duplicate.

RESULTS

Sixty-one studies were included in the narrative synthesis. They reported on a range of crises including the wars in Syria and Iraq, the Great East Japan Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and Palestinian refugees. There were few studies from Africa or Asia (excluding Japan). The studies predominantly assessed prevalence of hypertension. This varied with geography and age of the population. Access to care, patient understanding and patient views on hypertension were poorly examined. Most of the studies had a high risk of bias due to methods used in the diagnosis of hypertension and in the selection of study populations.

CONCLUSION

Hypertension is seen in a range of humanitarian settings and the burden can be considerable. Further studies are needed to accurately estimate prevalence of hypertension in crisis-affected populations throughout the world. An appreciation of patient knowledge and understanding of hypertension as well as the cascade of care would be invaluable in informing service provision.

Models of care for patients with hypertension and diabetes in humanitarian crises: a systematic review

Care for non-communicable diseases, including hypertension and diabetes (HTN/DM), is recognized as a growing challenge in humanitarian crises, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where most crises occur. There is little evidence to support humanitarian actors and governments in designing efficient, effective, and context-adapted models of care for HTN/DM in such settings. This article aimed to systematically review the evidence on models of care targeting people with HTN/DM affected by humanitarian crises in LMICs. A search of the MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, Global Indexus Medicus, Web of Science, and EconLit bibliographic databases and grey literature sources was performed. Studies were selected that described models of care for HTN/DM in humanitarian crises in LMICs. We descriptively analysed and compared models of care using a conceptual framework and evaluated study quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. We report our findings according to PRISMA guidelines. The search yielded 10 645 citations, of which 45 were eligible for this review. Quantitative methods were most commonly used (n = 34), with four qualitative, three mixed methods, and four descriptive reviews of specific care models were also included. Most studies detailed primary care facility-based services for HTN/DM, focusing on health system inputs. More limited references were made to community-based services. Health care workforce and treatment protocols were commonly described framework components, whereas few studies described patient centredness, quality of care, financing and governance, broader health policy, and sociocultural contexts. There were few programme evaluations or effectiveness studies, and only one study reported costs. Most studies were of low quality. We concluded that an increasing body of literature describing models of care for patients with HTN/DM in humanitarian crises demonstrated the development of context-adapted services but showed little evidence of impact. Our conceptual framework could be used for further research and development of NCD models of care.

Cardiovascular Diseases in Natural Disasters; a Systematic Review

Introduction:

As a result of destruction and lack of access to vital infrastructures and mental stress, disasters intensify cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and hence management of CVDs becomes more challenging. The aim of this study is investigating incidence and prevalence of CVDs, morbidity and mortality of CVDs, treatment and management of CVDs at the time of natural disasters.

Methods:

In the present systematic review, the articles published in English language until 28. 11. 2020, which studied CVDs in natural disasters were included. The inclusion criteria were CVDs such as myocardial infarction (MI), acute coronary syndrome (ACS), hypertension (HTN), pulmonary edema, and heart failure (HF) in natural disasters such as earthquake, flood, storm, hurricane, cyclone, typhoon, and tornado.

Result:

The search led to accessing 4426 non-duplicate records. Finally, the data of 104 articles were included in quality appraisal. We managed to find 4, 21 and 79 full text articles, which considered cardiovascular diseases at the time of flood, storm, and earthquake, respectively.

Conclusion:

Prevalence of CVD increases after disasters. Lack of access to medication or lack of medication adjustment, losing home blood pressure monitor as a result of destruction and physical and mental stress after disasters are of the most significant challenges of controlling and managing CVDs. By means of quick establishment of health clinics, quick access to appropriate diagnosis and treatment, providing and access to medication, self-management, and self-care incentives along with appropriate medication and non-medication measures to control stress, we can better manage and control cardiovascular diseases, particularly hypertension.

Health Consequences of an Armed Conflict in Zamboanga, Philippines Using a Syndromic Surveillance Database

The Zamboanga armed conflict was a 19-day long encounter in the Philippines in 2013 that displaced 119,000 people from their homes. This study describes the health consequences of this complex emergency in different age groups, time periods, and health facilities using data from Surveillance in Post Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (SPEED). This is a descriptive study of the SPEED database spanning 196 days of observation post-disaster and 1065 SPEED reports from 49 health facilities. Evacuation centers and village health centers, both primary care facilities, had the highest number of consults. Common infections and noncommunicable diseases were the most common reasons for consultations, namely, acute respiratory infections, fever, watery diarrhea, skin disease, and hypertension. Infections can be associated with environmental conditions in displaced populations, while hypertension has a high prevalence in the country and implies long-term care. Conflict-related injuries and deaths were not frequently observed due to the volatile situation that influenced health-seeking behavior as well as possible reporting gaps. In conclusion, in complex emergencies, as in natural disasters, wherein early alert and warning for potential outbreaks is crucial, SPEED can assist decision makers on response and recovery interventions. Linkages between SPEED and other surveillance and reporting systems need to be explored.