World Hypertension Day is marked annually on 17th May. To commemorate this year’s event, the Non-Communicable Disease Division of the Federal Ministry of Health collaborated with partners —the World Health Organization, Norvatis, Society for Women Development and Empowerment of Nigeria (SWODEN), Cardiac Community, and Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF) to sensitize residents of the FCT on hypertension.
The sensitization activities held on 24th May 2021 involved road walks, awareness creation, and free screening exercises at the Federal Secretariat Complex and Jabi Motor Park, Abuja. HSDF supported this activity by conducting community sensitization and screening persons for risk factors of diabetes and hypertension. HSDF also conducted counseling and referrals for persons who were found to be at high risk.
Participants at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja waiting to be screened
Approximately, 550 persons were reached with awareness messages and screened. Of persons screened, about 120 persons were found to have elevated blood pressure and referred to health facilities. In addition, about 20 persons were found to have elevated blood sugar and were similarly referred.
A participant getting his blood pressure measured
Hypertension is a type of Non-Communicable Disease and one of the leading preventable causes of death. Hypertension is also known as a “silent killer” as it often has no obvious symptoms and many people are unaware they have it.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension overlap in the population. Some studies have shown that as many as 40 to 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes have hypertension as comorbidity [1] [2], while people living with diabetes have 1.5-3 times increased prevalence of hypertension compared to others.[3]
Hypertension in the diabetic individual markedly increases the risk and hastens the course of cardiac disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, retinopathy, and nephropathy.
Through the ongoing Diabetes Awareness and Care Project, HSDF aims to increase awareness on Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and other NCDs which share common risk factors such as hypertension. The project also facilitates early identification of persons at risk and ensures they are referred to the appropriate level of healthcare. Since the project commenced over three years ago, more than 500,000 persons have been reached with awareness messages, and about 70,000 persons screened.
Source:
[1] Sowers JR, Epstein M, Frohlich ED: Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease : An Update. Hypertension 2001; 37(4): 1053-1059.
[2] Arauz-Pacheco C, Parrott MA, Raskin P: The Treatment of Hypertension in Adult Patients With Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2002; 25(1): 134-147.
[3] Arauz-Pacheco C, Parrott MA, Raskin P: Hypertension management in adults with diabetes. Diabetes Care 2004; 27 Suppl 1: S65-7.
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