Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Associated Factors Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Southern Afghanistan: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Hypertension among patients with type 2 diabetes results in higher rates of cardiovascular complications and deaths. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes in Afghanistan.

Objective: Our study aims to determine the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes in southern Afghanistan.

Methods: This was a multi-center hospital-based cross-sectional study employed from January to June 2024 in southern Afghanistan. A total of 609 randomly selected patients with type 2 diabetes were included in the analysis. Diabetes patients were examined for the presence/absence of hypertension diagnosis using a criterion set by the American Heart Association. The binary logistic regression analysis was performed to test for risk factors associated with hypertension among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Results: Among the 609 patients with diabetes included in the study, 55.3% (95% CI: 51.2%-59.3%) had hypertension. According to the results of binary logistic regression, female gender [AOR, adjusted odds ratio =1.73, 95% CI (1.09-2.74)], age of ≥ 50 years [4.35 (2.78-2.6.81)], having diabetes for five or more years [2.13 (1.37-3.31)], poor glycemic control [1.80 (1.18-2.75)], and the presence of depressive symptoms [3.25 (2.59-4.80)] were associated with hypertension among patients with diabetes.

Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence (55.3%) of hypertension among patients with type 2 diabetes in Afghanistan, it is imperative to develop targeted interventions aimed at early detection and ensuring adequate care, especially for those most at risk for hypertension.