May measurement month 2018: An analysis of blood pressure screening results from Mauritius

Abstract

Hypertension is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) aimed at raising awareness of high blood pressure (HBP) and to act as a temporary solution to the lack of screening programmes worldwide. We here provide the results of the 2018 MMM (MMM18) edition in Mauritius. This cross-sectional survey of participants aged ≥18 years was carried out in May 2018. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure of at least 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure of at least 90 mmHg or both. Blood pressure (BP) measurement and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. Screening was conducted by Non-Communicable Diseases and Health Promotion Unit, which is under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, mainly in workplaces and community centres, in both rural and urban areas across Mauritius. Of 5471 individuals screened, after multiple imputation, 786 (14.4%) had untreated hypertension. MMM18 was the largest BP screening campaign undertaken in Mauritius. These results suggest that MMM18 is very useful to identify significant numbers of patients with raised BP.