Hypertension in a resource-limited setting: Poor Outcomes on Short-term Follow-up in an Urban Hospital in Maputo, Mozambique
Publication year: 2019
Mozambique has low levels of detection, treatment, and control of hypertension. However, data on target organ damage and clinical outcomes are lacking. The authors aimed at characterizing the clinical profile, pattern of target organ damage, and short-term outcomes of patients referred to a first referral urban hospital in a low-income setting in Africa. We conducted a prospective descriptive cohort study from February 2016 to May 2017 in Maputo, Mozambique. Adult patients with systolic and diastolic blood pressure ≥180 mm Hg and/or ≥110 mm Hg, respectively, or any systolic blood pressure above 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure above 90 mm Hg in the presence of target organ damage (with or without antihypertensive treatment) were submitted to detailed physical examination, funduscopy, laboratory profile, electrocardiography, and echocardiography. Six months after the occurrence of complications (stroke, heart failure, and renal failure), hospital admission and death were assessed. Overall, 116 hypertensive patients were recruited (mean age 57.5 ± 12.8 years old; 111[95.7%] black; 81[70%] female) of which 79 had severe hypertension. The baseline mean values recorded for systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 192.3 ± 23.6 and 104.2 ± 15.2 mm Hg, respectively. Most patients (93; 80.2%) were on antihypertensive treatment. Patients' risk profile revealed dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes in 59(54.1%), 48(42.5%), and 23(19.8%), respectively. Target organ damage was found in 111 patients. The commonest being left atrial enlargement 91(84.5%), left ventricular hypertrophy 57(50.4%), hypertensive retinopathy 30(26.3%), and chronic kidney disease 27(23.3%). Major events during 6-month follow-up were hospitalizations in 10.3% and death in 8.6% of the patients.