Undiagnosed hypertension and diabetes: concordance between self-reported and actual profile among traders in Nigerian market

Background: Hypertension and diabetes rank high among cardiovascular risk factors, and in Africa, many affected persons are undiagnosed. Urban market traders are constrained from regular clinic visits by the fear of revenue loss occasioned by their absence from the stores, contributing to the reportedly high rates of undiagnosed and poorly treated cardiovascular conditions. This study determined the rate of undiagnosed hypertension and diabetes among traders in an urban market in Calabar, Nigeria. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used an interviewer-administered questionnaire to collect data from 105 traders at Marian market Calabar, including information on demographic characteristics and self-reported statuses regarding hypertension and diabetes. Subsequently, blood pressure and random blood sugar values were measured. Results: Forty-three (41.0%) of the respondents correctly reported their statuses regarding hypertension and 93.3% of the respondents correctly reported their statuses regarding diabetes. 62 (59%) and 7 (6.7%) of them had hitherto undiagnosed hypertension and diabetes, respectively. Only two (9.5%) out of those with a self-reported history of hypertension had normal blood pressure values. There was no agreement between the self-reported and actual profiles of hypertension among the respondents (kappa = 0.000, P = 0.008), and a weak level of agreement between the self-reported and actual profiles of diabetes among the respondents (kappa = 0.559, P < 0.001). Educational level was the identified predictor of correct self-report of status regarding hypertension (P = 0.031); Conclusion: There was a high rate of undiagnosed hypertension and, to a lesser extent, diabetes among this set of urban market traders.