Uncontrolled hypertension in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of institution-based observational studies

Background Uncontrolled hypertension is one of the major risk factors of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The prevalence of hypertension in Ethiopia is expected to reach up to 30%. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among hypertensive patients on treatment in Ethiopia. Methods Electronic databases and search engines including EMBASE (Ovid), PubMed/Medline, and Google Scholar were searched for original records in the English language addressing hypertension control in Ethiopia from 2000 to 2018. Data were extracted using a format prepared in Microsoft Excel and exported to STATA 15.0 software for analyses. The study protocol is registered at PROSPERO with reference number ID: CRD42018116336. Results A total of 13 studies with 5226 hypertension patients were included for systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in Ethiopia was 48% (95% confidence interval (CI): 36, 61%). The result of the sub-group analysis, based on the year of publications, revealed that the prevalence of uncontrolled BP was highest in 2016 (63%; CI: 60, 67%) and in 2015 (59%; CI: 53, 65%). Univariate meta-regression revealed that sampling distribution was not a source of heterogeneity for the pooled estimate as well as the sub group analysis. Conclusion The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was high in Ethiopia. This alarming public health issue fuels the ever-increasing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The ministry of health has to design a policy and implementation mechanisms to reduce uncontrolled hypertension prevalence and improve awareness on blood pressure control.