[Public screening for hypertension and problems of long-term follow-up]

Four months following public screening 34% of a random sample of 302 hypertensives still were under care: 50% of the 113 previously known and only 10% of the 189 preunaware. Such campaigns provide health education and reenforce the compliance of already known hypertensives. However, public screening yields poor individual follow up of newly identified hypertensives.