Community Based Screening for High Blood Pressure and Diabetes among
Albaraha Residents, Khartoum Sudan 2022.
Abstract
Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Hypertension (HTN)
constitutes a huge burden for low-income countries, so a screening
program for identifying those at risk or at the early stages can be
beneficial. The aim of the study is to screen Albaraha residents for DM
and high blood pressure. Methods: A cross sectional community
based study, which was conducted at Albaraha locality. A screening
campaign was carried out for DM and HTN. A snowball sampling method was
used. Blood pressure of > 130/90 was regarded as HTN and a
Fasting blood glucose of > 126 mg/dl with a positive risk
factor was considered to be DM. An interview was conducted to asses for
risk factors. The collected data were entered into an Excel form,
processed then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS) version 23. Results: A total of 385 individuals were
included. Most of them 47.8% aged 18-39. (57.9%) had University degree
and 46.7% were currently employed. Only 54 of them had High fasting
blood glucose and 182 had high blood pressure. 60% of the participant
had a family member with a history of Diabetes. People who had a
positive family history of diabetes had twice the risk (95% CI
0.6-11.9) of having high fasting blood glucose levels.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated the feasibility and
effectiveness of implementing community-based screening for high blood
pressure and high fasting blood glucose levels. It successfully
identified previously undiagnosed individuals with diabetes and
hypertension. A national survey with a larger sample size is
recommended.