Hypertension in Zimbabwe : a meta-analysis to quantify its burden and policy implications

Aim: To estimate the pooled prevalence of hypertension in Zimbabwe and describe its trend since independence in 1980 using secondary source data. Methods: Medline, Embase and Scopus databases from April 1980 to December 2013 were searched for population and community based studies on the prevalence of hypertension among adults (≥ 18 years) in Zimbabwe. The key words used were "prevalence", "epidemiologic studies", "hypertension" or "high blood pressure", based on the cut-off (≥ 140 mmHg systolic blood pressure and/or ≥ 90 mmHg diastolic blood pressure). We conducted a meta-analysis on the published studies, using the random-effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence. Results: The search retrieved 87 publications, of which four studies met the selection criteria. The four studies had a total of 4829 study participants between 1997 and 2010 across 5 provinces in Zimbabwe. Two studies were in urban areas, while the other two had mixed study settings (urban and rural). The overall pooled prevalence of hypertension was 30% (95%CI: 19%, 42%, I 2= 98%, χ 2 = 164.15, P = 0.00). Conclusion: Our results show a high prevalence of hypertension in Zimbabwe, with urban areas having higher prevalence than rural areas.