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Hypertension is a leading contributor to mortality in low‐middle income countries including Haiti, yet only 13% achieve blood pressure (BP) control. We evaluated the effectiveness of a community‐based hypertension management program delivered by community health workers (CHWs) and physicians among 100 adults with uncontrolled hypertension from the Haiti Cardiovascular Disease Cohort. The 12‐month intervention included: community follow‐up visits with CHWs (1 month if BP uncontrolled ≥140/90, 3 months otherwise) for BP measurement, lifestyle counseling, medication delivery, and dose adjustments. Primary outcome was mean change in systolic BP from enrollment to 12 months. Secondary outcomes were mean change in diastolic BP, BP control, acceptability, feasibility, and adverse events. We compared outcomes to 100 age, sex, and baseline BP matched controls with standard of care: clinic follow‐up visits with physicians every 3 months. We also conducted qualitative interviews with participants and providers. Among 200 adults, median age was 59 years, 59% were female. Baseline mean BP was 154/89 mmHg intervention versus 153/88 mmHg control. At 12 months, the difference in SBP change between groups was −12.8 mmHg (95%CI −6.9, −18.7) and for DBP −7.1 mmHg (95%CI −3.3, −11.0). BP control increased from 0% to 58.1% in intervention, and 28.4% in control group. Four participants reported mild adverse events. In mixed methods analysis, we found community‐based delivery addressed multiple participant barriers to care, and task‐shifting with strong teamwork enhanced medication adherence. Community‐based hypertension management using task‐shifting with CHWs and community‐based care was acceptable, and effective in reducing SBP, DBP, and increasing BP control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To describe the characteristics and chief complaints of adults seeking emergency care at two Cambodian provincial referral hospitals. Methods Adults aged 18 years or older who presented without an appointment at two public referral hospitals were enrolled in an observational study. Clinical and demographic data were collected and factors associated with hospital admission were identified. Patients were followed up 48 hours and 14 days after presentation. Findings In total, 1295 hospital presentations were documented. We were able to follow up 85% (1098) of patients at 48 hours and 77% (993) at 14 days. The patients' mean age was 42 years and 64% (823) were females. Most arrived by motorbike (722) or taxi ortuk-tuk (312). Most common chief complaints were abdominal pain (36%; 468), respiratory problems (15%; 196) and headache (13%; 174). Of the 1050 patients with recorded vital signs, 280 had abnormal values, excluding temperature, on arrival. Performed diagnostic tests were recorded for 539 patients: 1.2% (15) of patients had electrocardiography and 14% (175) had diagnostic imaging. Subsequently, 783 (60%) patients were admitted and 166 of these underwent surgery. Significant predictors of admission included symptom onset within 3 days before presentation, abnormal vital signs and fever. By 14-day follow-up, 3.9% (39/993) of patients had died and 19% (192/993) remained functionally impaired. Conclusion In emergency admissions in two public hospitals in Cambodia, there is high admission-to-death ratio and limited application of diagnostic techniques. We identified ways to improve procedures, including better documentation of vital signs and increased use of diagnostic techniques. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] Objectif Decrire les caracteristiques et les principales affections des adultes qui ont recours aux soins d'urgence dans deux hopitaux cambodgiens provinciaux de reference. Methodes Les adultes ages de plus de 18 ans qui se sont presentes sans rendez-vous a deux hopitaux publics de reference, ont ete inscrits a une etude observationnelle. Les donnees cliniques et demographiques ont ete recueillies et les facteurs associes a l'hospitalisation ont ete identifies. Les patients ont ete suivis 48 heures et 14 jours apres leur presentation. Resultats Au total, 1295 presentations a Lhopital ont ete documentees. Nous avons pu suivre 85% (1098) des patients 48 heures et 77% (993) 14 jours apres leur presentation. L'age moyen des patients etait de 42 ans et 64% (823) des patients etaient des femmes. La plupart des patients etaient arrives en moto (722), en taxi ou en tuk-tuk (312). Les principales affections communes etaient en majorite des douleurs abdominales (36%; 468), des problemes respiratoires (15%; 196) et des maux de tete (13%; 174). Parmi les 1050 patients dont les signes vitaux ont ete enregistres, 280 avaient des valeurs anormales, hormis la temperature, lors de leur arrivee. Les tests diagnostiques realises ont ete enregistres pour 539 patients: 1,2% (15) des patients avait beneficie d'une electrocardiographie et 14% (175) des patients avaient beneficie de l'imagerie diagnostique. Par la suite, 783 (60%) patients ont ete hospitalises et 166 d'entre eux ont subi une operation chirurgicale. Les indicateurs significatifs d'hospitalisation comprenaient l'apparition des symptomes dans les 3 jours precedant la presentation, des signes vitaux anormauxet la fievre. A Tissue du suivi des 14 jours, 3,9% (39/993) des patients etaient decedes et 19% (192/993) des patients presentaient des capacites fonctionnelles diminuees. Conclusion Dans les hospitalisations d'urgence dans les deux hopitaux publics au Cambodge, il y a un rapport hospitalisation-deces eleve et une application limitee des techniques de diagnostic. Nous avons identifie des moyens pour ameliorer les procedures, y compris Ia meilleure documentation des signes vitaux et l'utilisation accrue des techniques de diagnostic. Objetivo Describir las caracteristicas y quejas principales de los adultos que solicitan atencion de emergencia en dos hospitals provinciales de remision de Camboya. Metodos Se inscribio a adultos mayores de 18 anos que acudieron sin cita previa a dos hospitales publicos de remision en un estudio observacional. Se recogieron datos clinicos y demograficos y se identificaron los factores relacionados con el ingreso hospitalario. Se realizo un seguimiento a los pacientes durante 48 horas y 14 dias despues de la visita hospitalaria. Resultados En total, se documentaron 1295 visitas hospitalarias. Se logro realizar un seguimiento del 85 % (1098) y del 77 % (993) de los pacientes a las 48 horas y a los 14 dias, respectivamente. La edad media de los pacientes fue de 42 anos y el 54 % (823) eran mujeres. La mayoria acudio en motocicleta (722), taxi o tuk-tuk (312). Las quejas principales mas comunes fueron dolor abdominal (36 %; 458), problemas respiratorios (15 %; 196) y cefalea (13 %; 174). De los 1050 pacientes con registro de constantes vitales, 280 presentaron valores anomalos, a excepcion de la temperatura corporal, a su llegada. Se registraron las pruebas diagnosticas realizadas en 539 pacientes: se realizo una electrocardiografia al 1,2% (15) e imagenes diagnosticas al 14% (175) de los pacientes. Posteriormente, 783 (60 %) de los pacientes fueron ingresados, de los cuales 166 se sometieron a cirugia. Los predictores significativos para el ingreso incluyeron Ia aparicion de los sintomas 3 dias antes de Ia visita hospitalaria, constantes vitales anomalas yfiebre. Antes de finalizar el seguimiento de 14 dias, el 3,9 % (39/993) de los pacientes habia fallecido y el 19 % (192/993) seguia presentando discapacidades funcionales. Conclusion Las hospitalizaciones de emergencia de dos hospitales publicos de Camboya presentan una elevada relacion entre ingreso y defuncion, asi como un uso limitado de Ias tecnicas de diagnostico. Se identificaron formas de mejorar los procedimientos, como una mejor documentacion de las constantes vitales y un mayor uso de Ias tecnicas de diagnostico., Introduction Emergency medicine is a neglected component of health-care systems in most low- and middle-income countries. Nearly half of deaths and one third of disability adjusted life-years lost in these [...]

Haiti is one of the most food-insecure (FIS) nations in the world, with increasing rates of overweight and obesity. This study aimed to characterize FIS among households in urban Haiti and assess the relationship between FIS and body mass index (BMI) using enrollment data from the Haiti Cardiovascular Disease Cohort Study. FIS was characterized as no/low, moderate/high, and extreme based on the Household Food Security Scale. Multinomial logistic generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the association between FIS categories and BMI, with obesity defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. Among 2972 participants, the prevalence of moderate/high FIS was 40.1% and extreme FIS was 43.7%. Those with extreme FIS had higher median age (41 vs. 38 years) and were less educated (secondary education: 11.6% vs. 20.3%) compared to those with no/low FIS. Although all FIS categories had high obesity prevalence, those with extreme FIS compared to no/low FIS (15.3% vs. 21.6%) had the lowest prevalence. Multivariable models showed an inverse relationship between FIS and obesity: moderate/high FIS (OR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.56, 1.08) and extreme FIS (OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.81) versus no/low FIS were associated with lower adjusted odds of obesity. We found high prevalence of extreme FIS in urban Haiti in a transitioning nutrition setting. The inverse relationship between extreme FIS and obesity needs to be further studied to reduce both FIS and obesity in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest age-adjusted burden of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). SSA also experiences many viral infections due to unique environmental and societal factors. The purpose of this narrative review is to examine evidence around how hypertension, CVD, and emerging viral infections interact in SSA. Methods: In September 2021, we conducted a search in MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus, limited to English language studies published since 1990, and found a total of 1169 articles. Forty-seven original studies were included, with 32 on COVID-19 and 15 on other emerging viruses. Results: Seven articles, including those with the largest sample size and most robust study design, found an association between preexisting hypertension or CVD and COVID-19 severity or death. Ten smaller studies found no association, and 17 did not calculate statistics to compare groups. Two studies assessed the impact of COVID-19 on incident CVD, with one finding an increase in stroke admissions. For other emerging viruses, 3 studies did not find an association between preexisting hypertension or CVD on West Nile and Lassa fever mortality. Twelve studies examined other emerging viral infections and incident CVD, with 4 finding no association and 8 not calculating statistics. Conclusions: Growing evidence from COVID-19 suggests viruses, hypertension, and CVD interact on multiple levels in SSA, but research gaps remain especially for other emerging viral infections. SSA can and must play a leading role in the study and control of emerging viral infections, with expansion of research and public health infrastructure to address these interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic noncommunicable disease associated with death and major disability, with increasing prevalence in low- and middle-income countries. There is limited population-based data about diabetes in Haiti. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of diabetes and associated factors among adults in Port-au-Prince, Haiti using a population-based cohort. Methods: This study analyzes cross-sectional enrollment data from the population-based Haiti Cardiovascular Disease Cohort Study, conducted using multistage sampling with global positioning system waypoints in census blocks in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A total of 3,005 adults ≥18 years old were enrolled from March 2019 to August 2021. We collected socio-demographic data, health-related behaviors, and clinical data using standardized questionnaires. Diabetes was defined as any of the following criteria: enrollment fasting glucose value ≥ 126 mg/dL or non-fasting glucose ≥ 200 mg/dL, patient self-report of taking diabetes medications, or study physician diagnosis of diabetes based on clinical evaluation. Results: Among 2985 (99.3%) with complete diabetes data, median age was 40 years, 58.1% were female, and 17.2% were obese. The prevalence of diabetes was 5.4% crude, and 5.2% age standardized. In unadjusted analysis, older age, higher body mass index (BMI), low physical activity, low education were associated with a higher odds of diabetes. After multivariable logistic regression, older age [60+ vs 18-29, Odds Ratio (OR)17.7, 95% CI 6.6 to 47.9] and higher BMI (obese vs normal/underweight, OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.7 to 4.4) remained statistically significantly associated with higher odds of diabetes. Conclusion: The prevalence of diabetes was relatively low among adults in Port-au-Prince, but much higher among certain groups (participants who were older and obese). The Haitian health system should be strengthened to prevent, diagnose, and treat diabetes among high-risk groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death, with greater burdens of both HIV and CVD in lower-middle income countries. Treating prehypertension in PLWH may reduce progression to hypertension, CVD risk and potentially mortality. However, no trial has evaluated earlier blood pressure treatment for PLWH. We propose a randomized controlled trial to assess the feasibility, benefits, and risks of initiating antihypertensive treatment among PLWH with prehypertension, comparing prehypertension treatment to standard of care following current WHO guidelines. Methods: A total of 250 adults 18–65 years and living with HIV (PLWH) with viral suppression in the past 12 months, who have prehypertension will be randomized to prehypertension treatment versus standard of care. Prehypertension is defined as having a systolic blood pressure (SBP) 120–139 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 80–89 mmHg. In the prehypertension treatment arm, participants will initiate amlodipine 5 mg daily immediately. In the standard of care arm, participants will initiate amlodipine only if they develop hypertension defined as SBP ≥ 140 mmHg or DBP ≥ 90 mmHg. The primary outcome is the difference in mean change of SBP from enrollment to 12 months. Secondary outcomes include feasibility, acceptability, adverse effects, HIV viral suppression, and medication adherence. Qualitative in-depth interviews with providers and participants will explore attitudes about initiating amlodipine, satisfaction, perceived CVD risk, and implementation challenges. Discussion: PLWH have a higher CVD risk and may benefit from a lower BP threshold for initiation of antihypertensive treatment. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov registration number NCT04692467, registration date December 15, 2020, protocol ID 20–03021735. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes is a growing challenge in Thailand. Data to assess health system response to diabetes is scarce. We assessed what factors influence diabetes care cascade retention, under universal health coverage. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2014 Thai National Health Examination Survey. Diabetes was defined as fasting plasma glucose ≥126mg/dL or on treatment. National and regional care cascades were constructed across screening, diagnosis, treatment, and control. Unmet need was defined as the total loss across cascade levels. Logistic regression was used to examine the demographic and healthcare factors associated with cascade attrition. Findings: We included 15,663 individuals. Among Thai adults aged 20+ with diabetes, 67.0% (95% CI 60.9% to 73.1%) were screened, 34.0% (95% CI 30.6% to 37.2%) were diagnosed, 33.3% (95% CI 29.9% to 36.7%) were treated, and 26.0% (95% CI 22.9% to 29.1%) were controlled. Total unmet need was 74.0% (95% CI 70.9% to 77.1%), with regional variation ranging from 58.4% (95% CI 45.0% to 71.8%) in South to 78.0% (95% CI 73.0% to 83.0%) in Northeast. Multivariable models indicated older age (OR 1.76), males (OR 0.65), and a higher density of medical staff (OR 2.40) and health centers (OR 1.58) were significantly associated with being diagnosed among people with diabetes. Older age (OR 1.80) and higher geographical density of medical staff (OR 1.82) and health centers (OR 1.56) were significantly associated with being controlled. Conclusions: Substantial attrition in the diabetes care continuum was observed at diabetes screening and diagnosis, related to both individual and health system factors. Even with universal health insurance, Thailand still needs effective behavioral and structural interventions, especially in primary health care settings, to address unmet need in diabetes care for its population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poverty is a major barrier to healthcare access in low-income countries. The degree of equitable access for noncommunicable disease (NCD) patients is not known in rural Haiti. Objectives: We evaluated the poverty distribution among patients receiving care in an NCD clinic in rural Haiti compared with the community and assessed associations of poverty with sex and distance from the health facility. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of patients with NCDs attending a public-sector health center in rural Haiti 2013-2016, and compared poverty among patients with poverty among a weighted community sample from the Haiti 2012 Demographic and Health Survey. We adapted the multidimensional poverty index: people deprived =44% of indicators are among the poorest billion people worldwide. We assessed hardship financing: borrowing money or selling belongings to pay for healthcare. We examined the association between facility distance and poverty adjusted for age and sex using linear regression. Results: Of 379 adults, 72% were women and the mean age was 52.5 years. 17.7% had hypertension, 19.3% had diabetes, 3.1% had heart failure, and 33.8% had multiple conditions. Among patients with available data, 197/296 (66.6%) experienced hardship financing. The proportions of people who are among the poorest billion people for women and men were similar (23.3% vs. 20.3%, p > 0.05). Fewer of the clinic patients were among the poorest billion people compared with the community (22.4% vs. 63.1%, p < 0.001). Patients who were most poor were more likely to live closer to the clinic (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Among patients with NCD conditions in rural Haiti, poverty and hardship financing are highly prevalent. However, clinic patients were less poor compared with the community population. These data suggest barriers to care access particularly affect the poorest. Socioeconomic data must be collected at health facilities and during community-level surveillance studies to monitor equitable healthcare access. Highlights: • Poverty and hardship financing are highly prevalent among NCD patients in rural Haiti. • Patients attending clinic are less poor than expected from the community. • People travelling farther to clinic are less poor. • Socioeconomic data should be collected to monitor healthcare access equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess how quality and availability of reproductive, maternal, neonatal (RMNH) services vary by district wealth and urban/rural status in Zambia.Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Millennium Development Goal Acceleration Initiative baseline assessment of 117 health facilities in 9 districts. Quality was assessed through a composite score of 23 individual RMNH indicators, ranging from 0 to 1. Availability was evaluated by density of providers and facilities. Districts were divided into wealth groups based on the multidimensional poverty index (MPI). Relative inequity was calculated using the concentration index for quality indicators (positive favours rich, negative favours poor). Multivariable linear regression was performed for the dependent variable composite quality indicator using MPI, urban/rural, and facility level of care as independent variables.Results: 13 hospitals, 85 health centres and 19 health posts were included. The RMNH composite quality indicator was 0.64. Availability of facilities and providers was universally low. The concentration index for the composite quality indicator was -0.015 [-0.043, 0.013], suggesting no clustering to favour either rich or poor districts. Rich districts had the highest absolute numbers of health facilities and providers, but lowest numbers per facility per 1 000 000 population. Urban districts had slightly better service quality, but not availability. Using regression analysis, only facility level of care was significantly associated with quality outcome.Conclusions: Composite quality of RMNH services did not vary by district wealth, but was slightly higher in urban districts. The availability data suggest that the higher population in richer districts outpaces health infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improved primary health care is needed in developing countries to effectively manage the growing burden of hypertension. Our objective was to evaluate hypertension management in Zambian rural primary care clinics using process and outcome indicators to assess the screening, monitoring, treatment and control of high blood pressure.Methods: Better Health Outcomes through Mentoring and Assessment (BHOMA) is a 5-year, randomized stepped-wedge trial of improved clinical service delivery underway in 46 rural Zambian clinics. Clinical data were collected as part of routine patient care from an electronic medical record system, and reviewed for site performance over time according to hypertension related indicators: screening (blood pressure measurement), management (recorded diagnosis, physical exam or urinalysis), treatment (on medication), and control. Quantitative data was used to develop guides for qualitative in-depth interviews, conducted with health care providers at a proportional sample of half (20) of clinics. Qualitative data was iteratively analyzed for thematic content.Results: From January 2011 to December 2014, 318,380 visits to 46 primary care clinics by adults aged ≥ 25 years with blood pressure measurements were included. Blood pressure measurement at vital sign screening was initially high at 89.1% overall (range: 70.1-100%), but decreased to 62.1% (range: 0-100%) by 48 months after intervention start. The majority of hypertensive patients made only one visit to the clinics (57.8%). Out of 9022 patients with at least two visits with an elevated blood pressure, only 49.3% had a chart recorded hypertension diagnosis. Process indicators for monitoring hypertension were <10% and did not improve with time. In in-depth interviews, antihypertensive medication shortages were common, with 15/20 clinics reporting hydrochlorothiazide-amiloride stockouts. Principal challenges in hypertension management included 1) equipment and personnel shortages, 2) provider belief that multiple visits were needed before official management, 3) medication stock-outs, leading to improper prescriptions and 4) poor patient visit attendance.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that numerous barriers stand in the way of hypertension diagnosis and management in Zambian primary health facilities. Future work should focus on performance indicator development and validation in low resource contexts, to facilitate regular and systematic data review to improve patient outcomes.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT01942278 . Date of Registration: September 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular disease disproportionately affects persons living in low- and middle-income countries and heart failure (HF) is thought to be a leading cause. Population-based studies characterizing the epidemiology of HF in these settings are lacking. We describe the age-standardized prevalence, survival, subtypes, risk factors, and 1-year mortality of HF in the population-based Haiti Cardiovascular Disease Cohort.Methods: Participants were recruited using multistage cluster-area random sampling in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A total of 2981 completed standardized history and exam, laboratory measures, and cardiac imaging. Clinical HF was defined by Framingham criteria. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard regression assessed mortality among participants with and without HF; logistic regression identified associated factors.Results: Among all participants, the median age was 40 years (interquartile range, 27-55), and 58.2% were female. Median follow-up was 15.4 months (interquartile range, 9-22). The age-standardized HF prevalence was 3.2% (93/2981 [95% CI, 2.6-3.9]). The average age of participants with HF was 57 years (interquartile range, 45-65), and 67.7% were female. The first significant increase in HF prevalence occurred between 30 to 39 and 40 to 49 years (1.1% versus 3.7%, P=0.003). HF with preserved ejection fraction was the most common HF subtype (71.0%). Age (adjusted odds ratio, 1.36 [1.12-1.66] per 10-year increase), hypertension (2.14 [1.26-3.66]), obesity (3.35 [95% CI, 1.99-5.62]), poverty (2.10 [1.18-3.72]), and renal dysfunction (5.42 [2.94-9.98]) were associated with HF. One-year HF mortality was 6.6% versus 0.8% (hazard ratio, 7.7 [95% CI, 2.9-20.6]; P<0.0001).Conclusions: The age-standardized prevalence of HF in this low-income setting was alarmingly high at 3.2%-5-fold higher than modeling estimates for low- and middle-income countries. Adults with HF were two decades younger and 7.7× more likely to die at 1 year compared with those in the community without HF. Further research characterizing the population burden of HF in low- and middle-income countries can guide resource allocation and development of pragmatic HF prevention and treatment interventions, ultimately reducing global cardiovascular disease health disparities.Registration: URL: https://www.Clinicaltrials: gov; Unique identifier: NCT03892265. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypertension constitutes a growing burden of illness in developing countries like Zambia. Adequately screening and treating hypertension could greatly reduce the complications of stroke and coronary disease. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and identify current treatment practices among adult patients presenting for routine care to rural health facilities in the Better Health Outcomes through Mentoring and Assessments (BHOMA) project.Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of routinely collected clinical data from 46 rural government clinics in Zambia. Our analysis cohort comprised patients ≥ 25 years with recorded blood pressure measurements, who sought care at primary health centers. Consistent with prior research, in our primary analysis, we only included data from first visits. Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, or reported use of antihypertensive medication. A sensitivity analysis was performed using median blood pressure for individuals with multiple visits.Results and Discussion: From January 2011 to December 2014, 116,130 first visits by adult patients met eligibility criteria. The crude prevalence of hypertension by onsite measurement or reported use of antihypertensive medication was 23.1% [95% CI: 22.8-23.3] (23.6% in females, 22.3% in males). The age standardized prevalence of hypertension across participating sites was 28.0 [95% CI: 27.7-28.3] (29.7% in females, 25.8% in males). Sensitivity analysis revealed a similar prevalence using data from all visits. Only 5.6% of patients had a diagnosis of hypertension documented in their medical record. Among patients with hypertension, only 18.0% had any antihypertensive drug prescribed, with nifedipine (8.9%), furosemide (8.3%), and propranolol (2.4%) as the most common.Conclusions: Age standardized prevalence of hypertension in rural primary health clinics in Zambia was high compared to other studies in rural Africa; however, we diagnosed hypertension with only one measurement and this may have biased our findings. Future efforts to improve hypertension control should focus on population preventive care and primary healthcare provider education on individual management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor diets are responsible for a large burden of noncommunicable disease (NCD). The prevalence of modifiable dietary risk factors is rising in lower-income countries such as Haiti, along with increasing urbanization and shifts to diets high in sugar, salt, and fat. We describe self-reported dietary patterns (intake of fruits, vegetables, fried food, sugar-sweetened beverages, and added salt and oil) among a population-based cohort of low-income adults in Port-au-Prince and assess for associated sociodemographic factors (age, sex, income, education, body mass index). Among 2989 participants, the median age was 40 years, and 58.0% were women. Less than 1% met the World Health Organization recommendation of at least five servings/day of fruits and vegetables. Participants consumed fried food on average 1.6 days/week and sugar-sweetened beverages on average 4.7 days/week; young males of low socioeconomic status were the most likely to consume these dietary risk factors. The vast majority of participants reported usually or often consuming salt (87.1%) and oil (86.5%) added to their meals eaten at home. Our findings underscore the need for public health campaigns, particularly those targeting young males and household cooks preparing family meals at home, to improve dietary patterns in Haiti in order to address the growing NCD burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of a 33-year-old pregnant woman who went for her first prenatal visit. Topics covered include the question whether the patient should be offered a hepatitis B virus screening based on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement, and the recommended interventions once the patient screens positive of HBV.

Objective: Elevated blood pressure (BP), even at prehypertensive levels, increases cardiovascular disease risk among people with HIV (PWH); yet international guidelines in low-income countries recommend treatment initiation at BP at least 140/90 mmHg. We determined the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of treating prehypertension in PWH in Haiti., Design: An unblinded randomized clinical trial (enrolled April 2021-March 2022) with 12-month follow-up., Setting: GHESKIO Centres, Port-au-Prince, Haiti., Participants: Two hundred fifty adults with HIV with prehypertension (SBP 120-138 or DBP 80-89) not on medication, aged 18-65 years, virally suppressed, and without pregnancy, diabetes, or kidney disease., Intervention: Participants were randomized to treatment (amlodipine 5 mg) or control (no amlodipine unless two BP ≥140/90 mmHg)., Main Outcome Measure: Primary outcome was mean change in SBP between intervention versus control groups from enrollment to 12 months., Results: Among 250 adults, median age was 49 years, 40.8% were women. Baseline median BP was 129/78 mmHg intervention versus 128/77 mmHg control. After 12 months, the difference in mean change between study groups for SBP was -5.9 mmHg [95% confidence interval (95% CI) -8.8 to -3.0] and for DBP was -5.5 mmHg (95% CI -7.9 to -3.2). At 12 months, 5.6% intervention and 23.0% control participants developed incident hypertension (hazard ratio 0.18; 95% CI 0.07-0.47). There were no differences in viral load suppression at 12 months or drug-related serious adverse events. Intervention acceptability was high among providers and participants in qualitative interviews., Conclusion: In PWH in a resource-poor setting, prehypertension treatment was feasible, acceptable, and effective in reducing mean SBP and incident hypertension., Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04692467., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Hypertension is a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality. In South Africa, the government has employed a whole systems approach to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. We used a novel incident care cascade approach to measure changes in the South African health system's ability to manage hypertension between 2011 and 2017. We used data from Waves 1-5 of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) to estimate trends in the hypertension care cascade and unmet treatment need across four successive cohorts with incident hypertension. We used a negative binomial regression to identify factors that may predict higher rates of hypertension control, controlling for socio-demographic and healthcare factors. In 2011, 19.6% (95%CI 14.2, 26.2) of individuals with incident hypertension were diagnosed, 15.4% (95%CI 10.8, 21.4) were on treatment and 7.1% had controlled blood pressure. By 2017, the proportion of individuals with diagnosed incident hypertension had increased to 24.4% (95%CI 15.9, 35.4). Increases in treatment (23.3%, 95%CI 15.0, 34.3) and control (22.1%, 95%CI 14.1, 33.0) were also observed, translating to a decrease in unmet need for hypertension care from 92.9% in 2011 to 77.9% in 2017. Multivariable regression showed that participants with incident hypertension in 2017 were 3.01 (95%CI 1.77, 5.13) times more likely to have a controlled blood pressure compared to those in 2011. Our data show that while substantial improvements in the hypertension care cascade occurred between 2011 and 2017, a large burden of unmet need remains. The greatest losses in the incident hypertension care cascades came before diagnosis. Nevertheless, whole system programming will be needed to sufficiently address significant morbidity and mortality related to having an elevated blood pressure., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests:Dr Stokes reported receiving grants from Swiss Re and Johnson & Johnson outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported., (Copyright: © 2023 Benade et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is the leading cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor in Haiti and is likely driven by poverty-related social and dietary factors. Salt consumption in Haiti is hypothesized to be high but has never been rigorously quantified., Methods: We used spot urine samples from a subset of participants in the population-based Haiti Cardiovascular Disease Cohort to estimate population mean daily sodium intake. We compared three previously validated formulas for estimating dietary sodium intake using urine sodium, urine creatinine, age, sex, height, and weight. We explored the association between dietary sodium intake and blood pressure, stratified by age group., Results: A total of 1,240 participants had spot urine samples. Median age was 38 years (range 18-93), and 48% were female. The mean dietary sodium intake was 3.5-5.0 g/day across the three estimation methods, with 94.2%-97.9% of participants consuming above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended maximum of 2 g/day of sodium. Among young adults aged 18-29, increasing salt intake from the lowest quartile of consumption (<3.73 g/day) to the highest quartile (>5.88 g/day) was associated with a mean 8.71 mmHg higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) (95% confidence interval: 3.35, 14.07; p = 0.001). An association was not seen in older age groups. Among participants under age 40, those with SBP ≥120 mmHg consumed 0.5 g/day more sodium than those with SBP <120 mmHg (95% confidence interval: 0.08, 0.69; p = 0.012)., Conclusions: Nine out of 10 Haitian adults in our study population consumed more than the WHO recommended maximum for daily sodium intake. In young adults, higher sodium consumption was associated with higher SBP. This represents an inflection point for increased HTN risk early in the life course and points to dietary salt intake as a potential modifiable risk factor for primordial and primary CVD prevention in young adults., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s).)

In this retrospective cohort study of patients presenting to a national direct-to-consumer medical practice, we found that provider geographic location is a stronger driver of antibiotic prescribing than patient location. Physicians in the Northeast and South are significantly more likely than physicians in the West to prescribe antibiotics for upper respiratory infection and bronchitis.

Haiti is a low-income country whose population lives under repeated and chronic stress from multiple natural disasters, civil unrest, and extreme poverty. Stress has been associated with cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors including hypertension, and the impact of stress on blood pressure may be moderated by support. The distribution of stress, support, and their association with blood pressure has not been well described in low-income countries. We measured stress and support using validated instruments on cross-sectional enrollment data of a population-based cohort of 2,817 adults living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti between March 2019 and April 2021. Stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale, while support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Continuous scores were categorized into three groups for stress (low (1-5), moderate (6-10), high (11-16), and five groups for support (low (7-21), low-moderate (22-35), moderate (36-49), moderate-high (50-64), high (65-77)). Linear regression models were used to quantify the associations between: 1) support and stress adjusting for age and sex, and 2) stress and blood pressure adjusting for age and sex. A moderation analysis was conducted to assess if support moderated the relationship between stress and blood pressure. The cohort included 59.7% females and the median age was 40 years (IQR 28-55). The majority had an income <1 US dollar per day. The median stress score was moderate (8 out of 16 points, IQR 6-10), and median support score was moderate to high (61 out of 77 points, IQR 49-71). Stress was higher with older ages (60+ years versus 18-29 years: +0.79 points, 95% CI 0.51 to 1.08) and in females (+0.85 points, 95% CI +0.65 to +1.06). Support was higher in males (+3.29 points, 95% CI 2.19 to 4.39). Support was inversely associated with stress, adjusting for age and sex (-0.04 points per one unit increase in support, 95% CI -0.04 to -0.03). Stress was not associated with systolic or diastolic blood pressure after adjustment for age and sex. Support did not moderate the association between stress and blood pressure. In this urban cohort of Haitian adults living with chronic civil instability and extreme poverty, perceived levels of stress and social support were moderate and high, respectively. Contrary to prior literature, we did not find an association between stress and blood pressure. While support was associated with lower stress, it did not moderate the relationship between stress and blood pressure. Participants reported high levels of support, which may be an underutilized resource in reducing stress, potentially impacting health behaviors and outcomes.

Hypertension (HTN) is the leading modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor in low and middle-income countries, and accurate and accessible blood pressure (BP) measurement is essential for identifying persons at risk. Given the convenience and increased use of community BP screening programs in low-income settings, we compared community and clinic BP measurements for participants in the Haiti CVD Cohort Study to determine the concordance of these two measurements. Participants were recruited using multistage random sampling from March 2019 to August 2021. HTN was defined as systolic BP (SBP) ≥ 140mmHg, diastolic BP (DBP) ≥ 90mmHg or taking antihypertensives according to WHO guidelines. Factors associated with concordance versus discordance of community and clinic BP measurements were assessed with multivariable Poisson regressions. Among 2,123 participants, median age was 41 years and 62% were female. Pearson correlation coefficients for clinic versus community SBP and DBP were 0.78 and 0.77, respectively. Using community BP measurements, 36% of participants screened positive for HTN compared with 30% using clinic BPs. The majority of participants had concordant measurements of normotension (59%) or HTN (26%) across both settings, with 4% having isolated elevated clinic BP (≥140/90 in clinic with normal community BP) and 10% with isolated elevated community BP (≥140/90 in community with normal clinic BP). These results underscore community BP measurements as a feasible and accurate way to increase HTN screening and estimate HTN prevalence for vulnerable populations with barriers to clinic access., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Neighborhood factors have been associated with health outcomes, but this relationship is underexplored in low-income countries like Haiti. We describe perceived neighborhood cohesion and perceived violence using the Neighborhood Collective Efficacy and the City Stress Inventory scores. We hypothesized lower cohesion and higher violence were associated with higher stress, depression, and hypertension. We collected data from a population-based cohort of adults in Port-au-Prince, Haiti between March 2019 to August 2021, including stress (Perceived Stress Scale), depression (PHQ-9), and blood pressure (BP). Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg, diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg, or on antihypertensive medications. Covariates that were adjusted for included age, sex, body mass index, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, diet, income, and education, multivariable linear and Poisson regressions assessed the relationship between exposures and outcomes. Among 2,961 adults, 58.0% were female and median age was 40 years (IQR:28-55). Participants reported high cohesion (median 15/25, IQR:14-17) and moderate violence (9/20, IQR:7-11). Stress was moderate (8/16) and 12.6% had at least moderate depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 11). Median systolic BP was 118 mmHg, median diastolic BP 72 mmHg, and 29.2% had hypertension. In regressions, higher violence was associated with higher prevalence ratios of moderate-to-severe depression (Tertile3 vs Tertile1: PR 1.12, 95%CI:1.09 to 1.16) and stress (+0.3 score, 95%CI:0.01 to 0.6) but not hypertension. Cohesion was associated with lower stress (Tertile3 vs Tertile1: -0.4 score, 95%CI: -0.7 to -0.2) but not depression or hypertension. In summary, urban Haitians reported high perceived cohesion and moderate violence, with higher violence associated with higher stress and depression., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Multidrug therapy is a World Health Organization "best buy" for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. CVD polypills, including ≥2 blood pressure medications, and a statin with or without aspirin, are an effective, scalable strategy to close the treatment gap that exists in many low- and middle-income countries, including Haiti. We estimated the number of Haitian adults eligible for an atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) polypill, and the number of potentially preventable CVD events if polypills were implemented nationally., Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the Haiti CVD Cohort, a population-based cohort of 3,005 adults ≥18 years in Port-au-Prince, to compare two polypill implementation strategies: high-risk primary prevention and secondary prevention. High-risk primary prevention included three scenarios: (a) age ≥40 years, (b) hypertension, or (c) predicted 10-year ASCVD risk ≥7.5%. Secondary prevention eligibility included history of stroke or myocardial infarction. We then used the 2019 Global Burden of Disease database and published polypill trials to estimate preventable CVD events, defined as nonfatal MI, nonfatal stroke, and cardiovascular death over a 5-year timeline., Results: Among 2,880 participants, the proportion of eligible adults for primary prevention were: 51.6% for age, 32.5% for hypertension, 19.3% for high ASCVD risk, and 5.8% for secondary prevention. Based on current trends, an estimated 462,509 CVD events (95% CI: 369,089-578,475) would occur among adults ≥40 years in Haiti from 2019-2024. Compared with no polypill therapy, we found 32% or 148,003 CVD events (95% CI: 70,126-248,744) could be prevented by a combined primary and secondary prevention approach in Haiti if polypills were fully implemented over 5 years., Conclusion: These modeling estimates underscore the potential magnitude of preventable CVD events in low-income settings like Haiti. Model calibration using observed CVD events, costs, and implementation assumptions are future directions., Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT03892265.

Graves thyrotoxicosis rarely presents with painless jaundice resulting from hyperthyroidism-associated hepatotoxicity, without preexisting liver disease. Management in patients with this presentation is challenging, given that the thionamides, methimazole and propylthiouracil, have both been associated with drug-induced liver injury. Radioactive iodine ablation and thyroidectomy are well-established alternatives, but each have their associated risks and contraindications. We present an unusual case of severe hyperthyroidism-associated hepatotoxicity, in which adjuvant therapies, including glucocorticoids, saturated solution of potassium iodide, and cholestyramine, were used as a bridge to definitive therapy with thyroidectomy.