Magnitude and Determinants of Uncontrolled Blood Pressure among Adult Hypertensive Patients in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2025)

Background: According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.28 billion adults worldwide have hypertension, with two-thirds residing in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the serious health consequences of this condition, 46% of adults with hypertension are unaware that they have it, only 42% receive treatment, and only 1 in 5 individuals has adequately controlled blood pressure. So this study aimed to estimate the pooled magnitude and determinants of uncontrolled blood pressure among Hypertensive Patients in Ethiopia. Methods: We conducted a systematic search of published studies from PubMed, Scopus, web of Science, and manually on Google Scholar. This meta-analysis follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, The quality of studies was assessed by the JBI assessment tool. Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects method using the STATA™ Version 14 software. Result: The 19 studies included 7013 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled magnitude of uncontrolled blood pressure among hypertensives after correction of Duval and Tweedie’s trim and fill analysis with random effect model was 56.6 % (95% CI: 48.6-62.6) Whereas the highest prevalence 67.8%; (95% CI: 28.2- 107.4) seen in Amhara region and the lowest 44.2 %;( 95% CI: 32.3, 56.1) seen in Tigray region. Conclusion: Despite of it had serious health impact; the magnitude of uncontrolled blood pressure in Ethiopia is a significant public health issue. The observed variation across different regions highlights the need for targeted interventions.