North South University’s Global Health Institute (NGHI) and the Rangpur-Hypertension and Research Center (H&RC-Rangpur) recently conducted a study in Northern Bangladesh among adults over 18 years who had been diagnosed with hypertension.
A total of 2,276 hypertensive patients were engaged in in-person interviews who visited H&RC-Rangpur in 2020-21. In Northern Bangladesh, the H&RC-Rangpur is the health center that prescribes hypertension exclusively, a press release said.
Although the participants were prescribed for managing hypertension, over 60% of hypertensive individuals had uncontrolled hypertension. Due to severe (Grade II) uncontrolled hypertension, almost 40% of patients were at high risk of stroke and heart failure.
The fact that 52% of hypertension patients were overweight or obese is particularly concerning, implying that lifestyle changes are required to achieve a healthy weight.
According to the study, one-third of the patients missed follow-up appointments. Two-thirds of the patients did not follow the dietary recommendations, and 55% did not engage in any physical activity.
According to the study, 15% of hypertensive patients stopped taking medicines without consulting their doctors, and 75% of hypertensive patients reported taking medicines sporadically. Almost half of the hypertensive people had other ailments besides hypertension, indicating that hypertensive patients require multimorbidity specialists.
In the management of hypertension, the rural patient scenario was found to be worrying in terms of low medication adherence, absence of follow-up visits, and inadequate adherence to food guidance.
The personal physician to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prof. Dr. ABM Abdullah, said: “This research conducted by North South University and Rangpur Hypertension and Research Center is the reflection of the actual state of hypertension management in the country. This type of research needs to be conducted more often. Because, rather than the outcomes of studies conducted abroad, the outcomes from the studies conducted by us in the country can play a vital role in ensuring effective treatment of the hypertensive patients in the country.”
Prof. Dr. Abdul WadudChowdhury, Head of the Department of Cardiology, Dhaka Medical College, said: “People are always worried about heart diseases. But the blood pressure has to be kept under control to prevent heart diseases. Having a controlled blood-pressure can greatly reduce the risk of heart attack and heart failure.”
Dr. ZakirHossain, said, “Irregular medication use and missing follow-up might make it harder to manage hypertensive patients. Irregularity may increase the risk of critical illnesses such as stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease, as well as mortality in some situations.”
