Demographics and Clinical Correlates of Blood Pressure Among Ugandans at Risk for Stroke.

Background: Stroke risk factors are an emerging public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. This analysis examined demographic and clinical correlates of blood pressure (BP) in a Ugandan sample at risk for stroke. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis of demographics (age, gender, marital status, education level, rural/suburban/urban status, employment status), stroke risk factors (diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, smoking status, sedentary life-style, problem alcohol use), and clinical variables associated with systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were derived from the screening and baseline sample of a prospective, randomized effectiveness-implementation trial. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04685408, registered on 28 December 2020, testing a novel stroke risk reduction approach ( Results: Of this total sample of 247, the mean sample age was 55.4 years (Standard deviation/SD =12.0), and largely female, n=168 (68%). In addition to HTN, the most common sample stroke risk factors were hyperlipidemia (n=199, 80.6%) and obesity (n= 98, 39.7%). The majority (n= 238. 96.4%) were prescribed at least one medication to treat HTN. Mean SBP and DBP at baseline were 143.0 (SD=19.8, range 94.5-206) and 89.3 (SD =14.0, range 61-136) respectively. ESC-ECH classifications were grouped into grades of increasing severity from mildest (Grade 1) to the most severe (Grade 3). An additional < Grade 1 was created to reflect individuals whose ESC-ECH scores dropped below Grade 1 post-screening. There were few significant differences across ESC-ECH groups, except that having diabetes, being sedentary and being a smoker were associated with higher ESC-ECH grades. Conclusions: To help reduce stroke burden in Uganda, our findings support the importance of raising awareness of HTN and the helping individuals to manage their HTN with both medications and life-style approaches.