Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Factors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

High blood pressure was observed 2 times as common in individuals with diabetes as in those without. The coexistence of hypertension and diabetes substantially increases the risk for micro and macro vascular complications. A fewer studies conducted on the prevalence of hypertensing among type 2 diabetic patients in Ethiopia had some methodological limitations including use of small sample size in single hospital. Moreover, no similar study has been conducted in the study area, despite its unique challenges related to socio-economic factors and healthcare access. This study therefore, aimed at determining the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia from Sept.2019 to Jan. 2020. Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in ten public general hospitals of Tigray. The statistical package for social sciences version 20 was used to analyse data that was obtained through interviewer administered questionnaire of the random sample of 1,158 type 2 diabetes patients. Variables with a p-value less than 0.2 in bivariate analysis were included in a multivariable logistic regression model to identify factors independently associated with hypertension and associated factors were declared at p < 0.05. The prevalence of hypertension was 46.0% (95% CI: 43.1–49.0). Of 1,158 type 2 diabetes patients, 32.8 % had pre-hypertensive, 38.4% had stage 1 hypertensive and 5.4% had stage 2 hypertensive. The odds of hypertension were significantly higher among patients who were over 60 years old (AOR=2.84, 95% CI:1.07-7.51), had a BMI over 25 kg/m² (AOR=1.44, 95% CI:1.04-1.97), had diabetes for more than 5 years (AOR=1.39, 95% CI:1.05-1.82), had chronic kidney disease (AOR=1.76, 95% CI:1.23-2.51), had retinopathy (AOR=1.64, 95% CI:1.17-2.28), or were taking more than 4 pills per day (AOR=2.20, 95% CI:1.67-2.90). Conversely, the odds were significantly lower among urban residents (AOR=0.51, 95% CI:0.33-0.77) and those taking anti-platelet (AOR=0.35, 95% CI:0.20-0.60) or anti-dyslipidemia drugs (AOR=0.40, 95% CI:0.25-0.60). The prevalence of hypertension among type 2 diabetes patients was high. Age, residence, BMI, use of anti-platelets drug and anti-dyslipidemia drugs, duration of diabetes, chronic kidney disease and pill burden were the risk factors for hypertension among type 2 diabetic patients. Healthcare providers should implement integrated care models that include regular hypertension screening, lifestyle counseling focused on BMI management, and strategies to reduce the number of medications to lower cardiovascular risk in this population Keywords: Diabetes, hypertension, complication, Type 2 and prevalence