Long-Term Outcomes of a Cohort of Hypertensive Subjects in Rural Ecuador

In contrast with the abundance of global epidemiological descriptive data on cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors, information on the outcomes of real populations prospectively followed up in their life and care settings is much rarer, especially in low-income countries. This study sought to evaluate the feasibility and the overall results of a hypertension control program, based mainly on a network of community nonprofessional health promoters, in the poor rural region of Borbon (Ecuador). This is a prospective cohort study describing the results of a program of hypertension diagnosis, treatment and follow-up from 2004 to 2015 in the area, carried out mainly by the health promoters. The number of hypertensive patients identified and followed over the years increased from 1,024 in 2004 to 1,733 in 2015. The percentage of patients with no visits during a year was reduced to