An Appraisal of Hospital Based Blood Pressure Control in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Adequate blood pressure control is a major strategy, in the attempt to reduce the morbidity and mortality of hypertension related cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the level of blood pressure control among patients receiving treatment for hypertension in a specialist medical outpatient clinic (MOPD) of The University of Port Harcourt teaching hospital (UPTH). Method: A prospective descriptive cross sectional study was undertaken over three months, to determine the level of blood pressure control among patients receiving treatment for hypertension. Result: Two hundred and seven (207) patients were evaluated. The mean systolic blood pressure of all the study subjects was 149±19.33mmHg while the mean diastolic blood pressure was 93.48±13mmHg. A total of fifty subjects (24.2 %) had controlled blood pressure of less than 140/90mmHg. Conclusion: The percentage of hypertensive patients who achieved adequate blood pressure control is low. There is need to identify impediments to good blood pressure control and deal with them so as to optimize the benefit of antihypertensive treatment.