Determinant factors of the longitudinal pulse pressure among hypertensive patients treated at Assosa general hospital, Western Ethiopia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a common, long-term condition that tends to be associated with age and can lead to significant cardiovascular complications. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the longitudinal Pulse Pressure of hypertensive patients treated at Assosa General Hospital (AGH), Western Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective study design was conducted from 325 randomly selected HTN patients in the outpatient department (OPD) clinic at AGH during the follow-up period from January 2022 to January 2024. The analysis included exploratory data analysis and the application of a linear mixed model. This model was used to analyze the longitudinally measured pulse pressure in patients with hypertension. The appropriate variance-covariance structure chosen for this analysis was the unstructured (UN) format. RESULT: Among the 325 patients included in the study, 51.5% were female, and 54.2% were from urban areas. The variables: Age (p-value < 0.0001), Urban (p-value = 0.012), FHHTN (p-value < 0.0238), Stage-I HTN (p-value = 0.0403), Stage-II HTN (p-value = 0.0022), DM (p-value < 0.0001), CKD (p-value < 0.0001), Smoking (p-value < 0.0001), Enalapril + Nifedipine (p-value = 0.0249), and follow-up time (p-value < 0.0001) were significant factors for the progression of pulse pressure. CONCLUSION: The profile plot showed that the patient's pulse pressure decreases slowly as follow-up time increases. Age, Residence, FHHTN, DM, CKD, Smoking status, and Stages of HTN were positively associated with pulse pressure, whereas Treatment type and follow-up time were negatively associated with pulse pressure. So, Healthcare providers should prioritize addressing the modifiable risk factors mentioned above to help mitigate the progression of blood pressure specifically pulse pressure in hypertensive patients.