May Measurement Month 2022: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Paraguay

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was carried out in Paraguay in 2022 with the aim of raising awareness in the population of increased blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited opportunistically in the country. Three BP readings were taken for each participant, along with completion of a questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg or being treated with antihypertensive medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on antihypertensive medication with a BP < 140/90 mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate any missing BP readings. In total, 10 475 adults were screened, with a mean age of 48.6 years, and 62.0% were female. Most (57.3%) of the participants were screened in health service settings. Of all participants, 6049 (57.7%) had hypertension, 4367 (72.2%) were aware, 4246 (70.2%) were on antihypertensive medication, of whom 1686 (39.7%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension 27.9% had controlled BP. Hypertension was more common in male than in female participants (60.1 vs. 56.3%), and male hypertensive participants were less often controlled (21.5 vs. 32.0%). In conclusion, this campaign identified significant numbers of participants with hypertension and a great number on treatment who did not have controlled BP.