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Despite hypertension remaining the leading cause of death worldwide, awareness of hypertension and its control rate is still suboptimal in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the proportion of both diagnosed and undiagnosed hypertension, awareness and its control rate during the yearly May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign that has been coordinated by the International Society of Hypertension. Participants aged ≥18 years were recruited at various screening sites namely universities, health facilities, shopping malls, and other sites. Participant’s socio-demographic, environmental, and lifestyle data were captured using a questionnaire. Three blood pressure (BP) readings as well as anthropometric measurements were obtained from all participants. The mean of the second and third BP readings was used in analyses. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg or taking antihypertensive medication. A total of 3062 participants were recruited. The proportion with hypertension in our study was 18.7% (n= 572). The proportion who were aware of their BP status was 63.2%. More than half (57.2%) of the hypertensives were on antihypertensive medication and 70.3% of those treated were controlled. In conclusion, in this BP screening campaign, one in five were hypertensive with almost two thirds aware of their hypertensive status. BP control among those who are taking medications was high at 70% but under 60% of hypertensives were on treatment. Hypertension screening programmes are important to promote awareness and control of hypertension as well as to reduce the devastating complications associated with this disorder.

Hypertension continues to be the top global killer, contributing to over 10 million deaths annually. As prevalence and unawareness of hypertension remain high in Malaysia, this study was aimed to screen more individuals to identify those with undiagnosed hypertension. Respondents aged ≥18 years were recruited through opportunistic sampling at various screening sites including health clinics, hospitals, student health centres, universities, community halls, shopping malls, as well as through other health screening campaigns. Each respondent completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic, environmental, and lifestyle data. Anthropometric measurements as well as three blood pressure (BP) measurements were obtained from all participants. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg or taking antihypertensive medication. The total number of participants was 4866. The mean age of the participants was 39.8 (17.6) years with 61.1% female participants. Of the 4866 participants, 1405 (28.9%) had hypertension. The proportion of those aware of their hypertension status was 76.3% (1073/1405). The proportion of those with hypertension on medication was 71% (998/1405). Of those receiving antihypertensive treatment, 62.4% (623/998) had controlled BP. The proportion of hypertension in this study was 28.9%. The awareness rate of 76.3% compares favourably to a previously reported national level of 43.2%. Hence, BP screening programmes may be effective at increasing awareness and should be conducted annually.

The burden of hypertension has been growing over recent decades. In addition to risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease development, data indicates that hypertension may also pose a hazard to the quality of life (QoL) of individuals. Patient reported outcomes such as QoL are often overlooked, with physicians and healthcare professionals not routinely evaluating or customizing treatments according to QoL. In this study we aimed to assess the QoL of hypertensive men (n = 500) undergoing treatment who visited a charitable hospital in Pune, India. Clinic blood pressure was determined and the Mini Cuestionario de Calidad de Vida en Hipertensión Arterial (MINICHAL) scale was used to assess the health-related (HR)-QoL of patients. More than half of the participants (62%) had uncontrolled hypertension, with a mean systolic blood pressure (BP) of 151 ± 12 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure of 87 ± 6 mmHg as compared to those with controlled blood pressure (mean systolic blood pressure 123 ± 6 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure 84 ± 5 mmHg; P< .01 for both). Predominantly the participants were overweight with body mass index (BMI) of those with uncontrolled hypertension being greater than those with controlled blood pressure (28.4 ± 3.3 kg/m2vs 23.3 ± 2 kg/m2, P< .01). A reduced QoL was observed for participants with uncontrolled hypertension (overall score 41 ± 5) as compared to those with controlled blood pressure (35 ± 4, P< .001). This was evident on both the mental plane [2.8 ± 2.5 (95% CI = 2.3-3.1) vs 4.1 ± 3.2 (95% CI = 2.5-3.3)] and somatic domain [3.4 ± 3.2 (95% CI = 3.0-4.0) vs 4.7.4 ± 3.5 (95% CI = 3.1-4.5)] where the QoL was poorer (P< .001) for the uncontrolled hypertensive group. Poorer QoL was observed for people with uncontrolled hypertension. This study indicates that the QoL in patients with uncontrolled hypertension attending an outpatient clinic in India is worse than those with controlled blood pressure. Future studies need to be undertaken to ascertain whether an impaired QoL impacts the outcomes associated with high blood pressure.

Kimura disease (KD) is a benign chronic inflammatory disorder attributed to an immune mediated hypersensitivity. KD is commonly presented with unilateral subcutaneous tissue swelling in the head and neck area. The course is usually benign except for the potential cosmetic disfigurement. There is no consensus for the treatment of recurrent disease.

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