Prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A survey done in recognition of World Hypertension Day, 2014

Background: Hypertension, the leading global risk factor for mortality and the third leading risk factor for disease burden, is an increasing public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of hypertension in an urban population of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia in recognition of World Hypertension Day 2014. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey in May 2014 in 10 sub cities of Addis Ababa. Data were collected by trained clinical nurses and then entered into SPSS version 21 for analysis. Categorical data were analyzed univariately by (chi 2) tests. Logistic regression was used to identify independent factors associated with hypertension. Results: A total of 2716 adults were included in this study and the mean age is 36.9 +/- 14.2 years with males (mean age 38 years) older than females (mean age 36 years). More than half (58.1%) were females. Six hundred and seventy seven (25%, (95% CI 23.4-26.7)) were found to have hypertension, 1/3rd of them had stage 2 hypertension. And 47.3% had prehypertension. Men had significantly higher prevalence than women (AOR 1.4 (1.2-1.7), P < 0.0001). The prevalence significantly increased with increasing age with an increase of 10% per decade (AOR for age group >= 65 years is 23 [95% CI: 14.0-37.4] compared to those under 25 years of age). Residents of sub cities in the inner part of Addis Ababa had significantly higher prevalence of hypertension. Conclusion: Findings of this study indicate high prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension among adult residents of Addis Ababa city. The prevalence was higher in males, from inner part of the city and increased with increasing age. With increasing urbanization, this is an alarm for public awareness creation, regular community screening for hypertension, and proper preventive and treatment measures in those with high blood pressure.