RESUMO
In a three-arm, randomised, controlled trial among 60 Nigerian adults with hypertension, community health worker support and home blood pressure monitoring led to greater reductions in systolic blood pressure at four weeks compared to the usual care.
Assuntos
Anti-Hipertensivos/uso terapêutico , Monitorização Ambulatorial da Pressão Arterial , Pressão Sanguínea/efeitos dos fármacos , Agentes Comunitários de Saúde , Hipertensão/tratamento farmacológico , Educação de Pacientes como Assunto , Adulto , Idoso , Anti-Hipertensivos/efeitos adversos , Aconselhamento , Estudos de Viabilidade , Feminino , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Humanos , Hipertensão/diagnóstico , Hipertensão/fisiopatologia , Masculino , Adesão à Medicação , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Nigéria , Projetos Piloto , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Fatores de Tempo , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the frontrunner in the disease spectrum of sub-Saharan Africa, with stroke and ischaemic heart disease ranked seventh and 14th as leading causes of death, respectively, on this sub-continent. Unfortunately, this region is also grappling with many communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional disorders. Limited resources and the high cost of CVD treatment necessitate that primary prevention should have a high priority for CVD control in sub-Saharan Africa. One major challenge of such an approach is how to equip primary care to respond promptly and effectively to this burden. We present a practical approach on how primary care in sub-Saharan Africa could effectively address the prevention, treatment and control of CVD on the subcontinent. For effective prevention, control and treatment of CVD in sub-Saharan Africa, there should be strategic plans to equip primary care clinics with well-trained allied healthcare workers who are supervised by physicians.
