Prevalence, awareness and therapeutic control of hypertension in Belgium: an opportunistic screening of nearly 6,000 participants during the May Measurement Month campaigns 2017-23.

Abstract

Background: The May Measurement Month (MMM) initiative is an annual global screening campaign started in 2017 by the International Society of Hypertension highlighting the importance of regular measurements of blood pressure (BP). Here we report on the results of the MMM campaign done in Belgium during the month of May in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.

Methods: Participants ≥18 years were recruited through opportunistic sampling in 12 sites (mostly hospital entrances) across Belgium. Apart from standardised BP recordings by trained staff, data were collected on demographics, lifestyle factors and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as raised BP (systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg) and/or taking antihypertensive medication.

Results: Data were collected from 5,926 participants aged 51.5 years on average. Mean (SD) systolic and diastolic BP were 125.9 (17.6) mmHg and 79.4 (10.9) mmHg with 25.8% exceeding the 140/90 mmHg threshold. Age-standardised prevalences of hypertension were 45.4% in men and 36.9% in women. Among the 2,468 individuals with hypertension, 78.5% had been previously diagnosed and 1,578 of those with known hypertension, received antihypertensive treatment. Only about half of those being treated (56.3%) did achieve the target of systolic/diastolic BP <140/90 mmHg. Inadequate therapeutic control was independently associated with increasing age and higher body mass index. Untreated hypertension was significantly associated with male sex, age, body mass index and alcohol use.

Conclusion: Despite the limited representativeness of the sample, these data suggest that the 'rule of halves' for hypertension no longer holds true in Belgium and that therapeutic control of hypertension is still suboptimal.