Table 1.
Characteristics of ambulatory patients with hypertension at two visits, Ethiopia
| Characteristics | Current visit | Prior visit |
| Demographics | ||
| Age (mean, SD), year | 57 (14) | |
| Female (n, %) | 551 (63) | |
| Smoking (current smoker) (n, %) | 57 (6) | |
| Alcohol use (regularly or sometimes) (n, %) | 378 (43) | |
| Married (n, %) | 567 (65) | |
| Education (n, %) | ||
| University/college education | 170 (20) | |
| Secondary education | 141 (16) | |
| Primary or no formal education | 557 (64) | |
| Setting | ||
| Specialised hospitals: both from Addis Ababa (n, %) | ||
| Tikur Anbessa Hospital | 139 (16) | |
| St Paul’s Hospital | 153 (17) | |
| General hospitals: all from Tigray, except Yekatit 12 from Addis Ababa (n, %) | ||
| St Mary Axum Hospital | 139 (16) | |
| Mekelle Hospital | 152 (17) | |
| Lemlem Karl Maychew Hospital | 155 (17) | |
| Yekatit 12 Hospital | 159 (18) | |
| Disease characteristics | ||
| BP | ||
| Systolic BP (Mean, SD) | 139 (21) | 144 (22) |
| Diastolic BP (Mean, SD) | 84 (11) | 85 (13) |
| Controlled BP (<140/90 mm Hg) (n, %) | 335 (37) | 231 (27) |
| Controlled BP (<130/80 mm Hg with DM and/or kidney diseases, *otherwise <140/90 mm Hg) (n, %) | 268 (30) | 202 (24) |
| Cardiometabolic comorbid illnesses (n, %) | ||
| Diabetes mellitus | 227 (25) | 198 (22) |
| Dyslipidaemia | 57 (6) | 45 (5) |
| Renal diseases | 25 (3) | 23 (3) |
| Heart failure / myocardial infarction | 72 (8) | 60 (7) |
| Antihypertensive treatment characteristics | ||
| Drug class (n, %) | ||
| ACE inhibitors | 503 (56) | 494 (55) |
| Enalapril | 499 (56) | 492 (55) |
| Lisinopril or captopril | 4 (0.4) | 2 (0.2) |
| Beta blockers | 167 (19) | 166 (19) |
| Atenolol | 148 (17) | 147(16) |
| Propranolol, metoprolol or carvedilol | 19 (2) | 19 (2) |
| Calcium channel blockers | 449 (50) | 439 (49) |
| Nifedipine | 381 (43) | 389 (43) |
| Amlodipine or felodipine | 68 (8) | 50 (6) |
| Diuretics† | 498 (56) | 486 (54) |
| Hydrochlorothiazide | 428 (48) | 421 (47) |
| Furosemide | 76 (9) | 71 (8) |
| Spironolactone | 72 (8) | 66 (7) |
| Others (methyldopa, nitrates or losartan) | 19 (2) | 13 (1) |
| Duration of therapy years (median, IQR) | 4 (7) | |
| Visit schedule in months (mean, SD) | 2.3 (2.0) | |
| Adherence (MMAS ≥7) (n, %) | 355 (40) | |
| Therapy (n, %) | ||
| Monotherapy | 343 (38) | 363 (41) |
| Multidrug therapy | 550 (62) | 521 (59) |
| Treatment intensified in patients with uncontrolled BP at current visit (n=540)‡ (n, %) | 123 (23) |
Mono/multidrug therapy is limited to antihypertensive medications.
*Otherwise: patients with hypertension without DM or kidney disease.
†Some patients had more than one type of diuretics.
‡For 22 of 562 patients with uncontrolled BP at the current visit, the medication history was not complete. Treatment intensification could thus only be calculated for 540 patients.
BP, blood pressure; DM, diabetes mellitus; MMAS, Morisky Medication Adherence Scale.