Abstract

SCHETTINI, CARLOS  and  ASOCIACION ESPANOLA. Grupo de Hipertensión Arterial et al. Menos uso de fármacos antihipertensivos en hipertensos con cifras menores de presión arterial. Rev.Urug.Cardiol. [online]. 2006, vol.21, n.1, pp.16-22. ISSN 1688-0420.

SUMMARY Background: elevated blood pressure (BP) is the most prevalent cardiovascular mortality and morbidity risk factor and it is poorly controlled. We evaluated the degree of antihypertensive treatment in relation to level of elevated BP because we presumed that the antihypertensive therapy could be related to that fact. Methods: the 700 hypertensive of our hypertension survey with BP ³ 140/90 mmHg were divided in three groups according to systolic BP (140-149 mmHg, 150-159 mmHg and ³160 mmHg), and in three groups according to diastolic BP (90-94 mmHg, 95-99 mmHg and ³100 mmHg). The antihypertensive treatment in each one of these six groups was analyzed, and also in several groups: BP measured in the last consultation or not, and diabetic or not, coronary heart disease or not and older or younger than 65 years. Results: 45,8% of the analyzed hypertensive was under antihypertensive treatment, numbers that raised 65,3% in the patients with cardiovascular disease. 54,1% of the patients with SBP ³160 mmHg were receiving antihypertensive, figures that drops to 34,7% in the group of 150-159 mmHg SBP and lowered to 27,1% in the group of 140-149 mmHg SBP (p <0,00001). There was no statistically significant difference in the treatment in relation to the numbers of DBP. Conclusions: we verify that in the practice hypertensive therapy in underused in all ranges of SBP and DBP, being minor the percentage of treated hypertensive at lowers values of SBP, although this group constitutes 2/3 of all analyzed hypertensive. Higher percentage of therapy was observed in patients with coronary heart disease and in patients that the doctor had measured the BP in the last consultation. But also in these two groups of hypertensive antihypertensive therapy was underused with lower values of SBP. It is necessary to overcome the clinical inertia by continuing medical education, audits and other management strategies to increase the percentage of hypertensive treated and this way to reduce the load that this illness imposes our society.

Keywords : HYPERTENSION; RISK FACTORS; BLOOD PRESSURE; CLINICAL TRIALS.

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