Medical experts have urged people in Uganda to regularly measure their blood pressure for early diagnosis. 

It follows the identification of over 1.1 million elevated blood pressure readings, and over 980,000 confirmed diagnoses of hypertension from above 3.9 million screenings since 2020, following the launch of the Healthy Heart Africa (HHA) programme in Uganda. 

 “These numbers are people who learnt about their elevated blood pressure readings early enough to control it,” Dr Allan Mackenzie, the Associate Director, Government Affairs, Global Sustainability – Access to Healthcare said. 

He says others were diagnosed with the disease to hopefully start treatment before severe consequences. 

The Intervention comes as a result of a two-year partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau. 

 “As we mark World Hypertension Day today, we emphasize the need to detect high blood pressure early in order to control it before it develops into more serious conditions like stroke,” Dr Gerald Mutungi, Assistant Commissioner in charge of non-communicable diseases, Ministry of Health said. 

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a serious medical disease that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. 

It is a leading cause of premature death worldwide.  

 A 2014 national STEPwise survey in Uganda, revealed that 24.4 percent of Ugandans have hypertension. 

In addition, the survey revealed that 70 percent of respondents had never had their blood pressure measured, while 76.1 percent of those found with high blood pressure were unaware and hence not on treatment. 

Dr Mutungi says the collaboration with HHA programme has made screening services available at the primary healthcare level. 

Since its launch in 2014 to date, HHA has expanded to support local health systems in eight countries including Uganda. 

Worldwide the call to action is for early detection of elevated blood pressure and the need to continue treatment for those with a confirmed diagnosis. 

Dr Tonny Tumwesigye, Executive Director, Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau said through HHA, they have integrated existing healthcare structures into primary care services to improve reach to people and contribute to the prevention and halting of Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) spread in Uganda. 

“The programme is currently present in the South-Western Region (Mbarara), Eastern Region (Jinja) and Central Region (Mityana) where we have used our extensive community-level presence to improve access to hypertension healthcare services to those who need it,” Dr Tumwesigye said. 

HHA is AstraZeneca's innovative programme committed to tackling hypertension (high blood pressure) and the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Africa. 

As the world marks World Hypertension Day today (Tuesday, May 17), the global theme is ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer.’   

Medical experts say even though hypertension is a silent killer with no symptoms, it can be avoided by regularly exercising, eating more fruits and vegetables, avoiding tobacco, avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol, and limiting foods high in saturated fats, among other risk factors.