• N Peer, C George, and A-P Kengne.
• Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Durban and Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa. nasheeta.peer@mrc.ac.za.
• S. Afr. Med. J. 2019 Dec 5; 109 (11b): 3-7.

AbstractHypertension prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is high, is rising and has emerged as the most prevalent cardiovascular disease risk factor. Research is required to provide evidence-based findings to prioritise hypertension prevention and control. This systematic review aims to describe the distribution of and trends in scientific outputs on hypertension prevalence in population-based studies in SSA over the last three decades. Relevant English-language articles documenting hypertension prevalence in population-based studies in SSA, published between 1 January 1990 and 25 April 2019, were identified through a comprehensive electronic search of MEDLINE. Of the 3 795 citations retrieved, 414 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Scientific outputs increased incrementally per 10-year period: 1990 - 1999: n=32; 2000 - 2009: n=65; and 2010 - 2019: n=317. The greatest number of scientific outputs over the 30-year period originated from South Africa (n=81) and Nigeria (n=74). Increasing scientific outputs on hypertension prevalence in SSA have not translated into optimal hypertension management, which remains inadequate.

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