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Mahesh

30/10/23 06:43 AM IST

India’s first dist-level study on hypertension flags disparities in care

In News
  • According to a recent WHO report, 188.3 million people in India suffer from hypertension but only 37% get diagnosed, only 30% start treatment, and only 15% manage to keep their blood pressure under control.
Major Findings
  • In Karnataka, four districts — Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Udupi and Chitradurga — have a similar prevalence of hypertension, but the proportion of participants diagnosed and treated in Chikmagalur and Udupi was higher.
  • In Meghalaya, the five districts of Garo Hills, the two districts of Jaintia Hills and the three districts of Khasi Hills all have a similar prevalence of hypertension, but the proportion of those diagnosed is much lower in Garo Hills than in Jaintia Hills and Khasi Hills.
  • It estimated that at least 4.6 million deaths in India can be prevented by 2040 if half of those with the condition manage to keep their blood pressure under control.
  • The district-level study,was conducted by AIIMS Delhi and scientists from Europe and the US who used the hypertension data from NFHS-5.
  • The researchers have also created a dashboard of district- and state-wise hypertension caseload in India, which they said will help stakeholders identify priorities for reducing burden and tracking progress.
  • Analysing data of nearly 1.7 million respondents across socio-demographic groups in 707 districts, the study found that one in four adults had hypertension.
  • Of these, only one in three came to know of their condition after being diagnosed with it, less than one in five were treated, and only one in 12 had their blood pressure under control.
  • More significantly, the study found, there were substantial variations across districts in blood pressure diagnosis (range: 6.3%-77.5%), treatment (range: 8.7%-97.1%) and control (range: 2.7%-76.6%). Raising a red flag, the researchers said that the national mean values of hypertension “hide considerable” variation at the district level and recommended a critical public health strategy to improve care — “targeted, decentralised solutions” at the district level
  • Another key finding of the study was the importance of screening hypertension and diabetes using local healthcare workers, including ASHA workers.
  • Instead of people coming to the hospital, you go to them and do hypertension screening in a door-to-door survey, and even the treatment should be provided through the nearest healthcare facility rather than them coming to the tertiary healthcare facility and district hospitals.
Source- Indian Express

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