Prevalence of HTN in Iran: Meta-analysis of Published Studies in 2004- 2018

INTRODUCTION: Prevalence of hypertension (HTN) is increasing in the developing countries like Iran. Various studies have reported different rates of HTN in Iran. The purpose of this study was to estimate an overall prevalence of HTN in Iran. METHODOLOGY: Using the English and Persian key derived from Mesh, the databases including MagIran, Iran Medex, SID, Web of Sciences, PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar as a searching engine were reviewed: from 2004 to 2018. The overall prevalence of MA was estimated using Random effect model. The I2 test was used to assess the heterogeneity of the studies. Additionally, the quality of studies was evaluated using a standard tool. Publication bias was conducted with the Egger test. Meta-regression and analysis of subgroups were analyzed based on variables such as age, marital status, region and tools. Data were analyzed using STATA 12 software. RESULTS: Analysis of 58 primary articles with a sample size of 902580 showed that the prevalence of HTN in Iran was 25% (with 95% CI of 22-28). The highest prevalence of HTN was related to elderly (42%). The prevalence of HTN was 25% (95% CI: 19-31) in women and 24% (95% CI: 20-28) in men with no significant difference (p = 0.758). The results also indicated that the prevalence of HTN was not related to the year of studies (p = 0.708) or sample size (p = 769). CONCLUSION: Despite the advancements in science and technology, along with health and prevention of diseases, the overall prevalence of HTN raised in Iran. Since HTN is a silent disease with significant health consequences and economic burden, programs designed to better HTN control seem vital to enhance community health.