Key result
Antihypertensive treatment in Italian primary care achieved adequate blood pressure control (<140/90 mm Hg) in only 33.5% of patients, largely due to failure to appropriately reduce systolic pressure.
Cross-Sectional (n=8,572)
Yes
Effective blood pressure control remains uncommon in Italian hypertensive patients treated by general practitioners, largely due to failure to control systolic blood pressure.
BP control remains inadequate in Italian primary care; leaves open whether systolic-focused strategies improve outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Adequate control of blood pressure (BP) is limited worldwide. This has serious consequences for public health because in hypertensive patients, uncontrolled BP is associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular events, particularly stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate BP control in a cohort of treated patients with diagnosed hypertension, who were under general practitioner care in Italy. METHODS: Data were collected by 2,643 physicians on 8,572 individual Italian patients. Office BP was measured 5 min after seating each patient and then 3-5 min later. For each patient, data such as medical history of patients, physical examination data, antihypertensive drug usage, and self-BP measurement frequency were obtained. RESULTS: Male prevalence was 48.4%, and mean age was 64.3 ± 10.5 years. Based on the second measurement, BP control (<140/90 mm Hg) was observed in 33.5% of all patients (34.2% in men and 33.4% in women). BP control was much lower for systolic BP than for diastolic BP (35.9 vs. 61.3%, P < 0.0001); moreover, BP control was much more common in patients who were engaged in self-BP measurement (61.2 vs. 38.8%, P < 0.0001). A stricter BP control recommended by the guidelines of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) (<130/80 mm Hg) was observed in only 5.5% of diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In treated Italian hypertensives effective BP control remains uncommon largely due to the failure to appropriately reduce the systolic BP. The stricter values recommended by the ESH/ESC guidelines for diabetic patients are achieved only by a small fraction of hypertensive diabetic population.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Giannattasio et al. (2012) conducted a cross-sectional in Essential hypertension (n=8,572). Antihypertensive treatment was evaluated on Blood pressure control (<140/90 mm Hg). Antihypertensive treatment in Italian primary care achieved adequate blood pressure control (<140/90 mm Hg) in only 33.5% of patients, largely due to failure to appropriately reduce systolic pressure.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: