Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Bissau, Western Africa

Hypertension is the leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In Guinea–Bissau there are no previous population‐based hypertension surveys. Therefore, the authors aimed to estimate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of high blood pressure among adults living in Bissau. A sample (n = 973) of dwellers in Bissau, aged 18–69 years, was assembled through stratified and cluster sampling. Patients underwent face‐to‐face interviews and blood pressure measurements following the World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance. The prevalence of hypertension was 26.9%, and 51.4% of hypertensive individuals were aware of their condition, of whom 51.8% reported having received pharmacological treatment in the previous 2 weeks. Among the latter, 49.9% had blood pressure values below 140/90 mm Hg. These findings show that hypertension has become a major public health problem in Guinea‐Bissau, emphasizing the urgent need to develop and implement national strategies for the prevention and management of hypertension.