Prevalence and predictors of hypertension among adults in Mbarara City, Western Uganda.

OBJECTIVE: The study aim was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of hypertension among an urban adult population in Mbarara city, Western Uganda. METHODS: We evaluated blood pressure measurements, social demographic and clinical parameters of adults living in Mbarara city, Uganda. These parameters were extracted from medical records of adults who participated in the Uganda World Kidney Day 2020 health screening activities. A total of 302 adults were evaluated for hypertension using the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2017 (blood pressure threshold 130/80 mmHg) and International Society of Hypertension 2020 guidelines (threshold 140/90 mmHg). RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 42.5 years (standard deviation: 15.1) and majority were male 195/302 (64.6%). Using American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2017 guidelines, 156/302 (51.7%) adults were newly diagnosed with hypertension compared to 68/302 (22.5%) newly diagnosed with hypertension using International Society of Hypertension 2020 guidelines. Only 23/302 (7.6%) were on treatment. Based on American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2017 guidelines, age ≥40 years and overweight/obesity were statistically significant predictors of hypertension (p < 0.05 for all) at multivariate analysis. Using the International Society of Hypertension 2020 guidelines, age ≥40 years predicted hypertension. DISCUSSION: The prevalence of hypertension is high among this urban adult population irrespective of the guidelines used, highlighting the need for hypertension prevention interventions.

Post-stroke depression among stroke survivors attending two hospitals in Kampala Uganda.

BACKGROUND: The burden of stroke worldwide is increasing rapidly. There is paucity of data on post-stroke depression (PSD) among stroke survivors in Uganda, despite the high prevalence of PSD reported elsewhere. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed adult participants with confirmed first stroke with a standardized questionnaire. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess for depression among non-aphasic patients while the Aphasic Depression Rating Scale was administered to aphasic patients. Univariable and multivariable analyses performed to describe associations with PSD. RESULTS: Forty three females (58.9%) and 30 males (41.1%) who had a stroke participated. Fifty eight (79.5%) had ischemic strokes and 12 participants (16.4%) were aphasic. The prevalence of PSD among the study participants was 31.5%. PSD was higher among patients assessed within 6 months after the onset of stroke. PSD was strongly associated with the total Barthel index of activities of daily living (BIADL) score; p=0.001. There was no significant association between demographic characteristics and PSD. CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of unrecognized post-stroke depression. Post-stroke depression was strongly associated with the patient's inability to undertake activities of daily life. There is urgent need for integration of screening for and management of post-stroke depression among stroke survivors.