[Incidental high blood pressure in family practice: due to hypertension and/or left ventricular hypertrophy in more than half of the patients].
OBJECTIVE
To determine if patients with incidentally high blood pressure actually have hypertension and if these patients have an increased left ventricular mass.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Two family practices with 8 general practitioners in Leiden and Noordwijk, the Netherlands.


METHODS
From the Family Practice Network in the Leiden area 133 (67%) out of 200 patients with incidental high blood pressure, who did not receive antihypertensive medication, participated in the study. Their blood pressure was measured 6 times with a mercury manometer, an automatic, non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring during 24 hours was performed once and their left ventricular mass was measured by means of echocardiography.


RESULTS
Of the 133 selected patients 46% had a mean diastolic blood pressure > 95 mmHg measured with the mercury manometer and 64% had a mean 24-hr diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg measured with the ambulatory blood pressure monitor. The correlation between both blood pressure measurements was moderate (correlation coefficient 0.73). Left ventricular hypertrophy was found in 53% of the patients, irrespective of their blood pressures.


CONCLUSIONS
In this investigation 45-65% of patients with an incidentally high blood pressure had a mean diastolic pressure > 95 mmHg as measured with a mercury manometer and (or) a mean 24-hr diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg as measured with the ambulatory blood pressure monitor; 53% had left ventricular hypertrophy.
Boekhout
I
I
Vakgroep Huisarts- en Verpleeghuisgeneeskunde, Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, Leiden.
Van Marwijk
H W
HW
Petri
H
H
Schipperheyn
J J
JJ
Hermans
J
J
Springer
M P
MP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012016:Reference Values
Incidenteel verhoogde bloeddruk in de huisartspraktijk: bij meer dan de helft van de patiënten hypertensie en (of) linkerventrikelhypertrofie.