Socio-economic impact of HYPERTENSION

Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular diseases and a growing public health problem in many developed and developing countries. Hypertension is one of the five leading causes of mortality in the world and a major risk factor associated with more than 40% of deaths related to cardiovascular and renal diseases. The prevalence of hypertension varies across the WHO regions and country income groups. The WHO African Region has the highest prevalence of hypertension (27%) while the WHO Region of the Americas has the lowest prevalence of hypertension (18%). A review of current trends shows that the number of adults with hypertension increased from 594 million in 1975 to 1.13 billion in 2015, with the increase seen largely in low- and middle-income countries. This increase is due mainly to a rise in hypertension risk factors in those populations. Rwanda is a small country in Eastern Africa where income per capita is less than 1 dollar per day. It is difficult for persons in rural areas to come for treatment into hospitals located some distances away from their homes. Therefore, it is important to assess the problem of hypertension and its associated features.