title: Cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients: results of the Pandora project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the Pandora project is to collect epidemiological information, check diagnostic and therapeutic pathways, and assess outcomes in a large hypertensive population. This report presents the results on patients enrolled in the study between 1997-1999.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one general practitioners working in the Ravenna Local Health Service took part in the study. They were supplied with IBM compatible PCs and were trained to enter the patient's data (age, gender, familiarity for cardiovascular diseases, smoking, hospitalisations for cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, blood pressure, total cholesterolemia, creatininemia, antihypertensive therapy) on So.Ge.Pa. software. Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed according to the WHO - ISH joint committee recommendations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  2,608 treated hypertensive patients were enrolled, 65% of whom showed inadequate blood pressure control. The prevalence of inadequate BP control was higher in patients on multiple-drug antihypertensive therapy compared with those on monotherapy (71.9% vs. 47.9%), in older than in younger patients (70.7% vs. 56.1%) and in patients with three cardiovascular risk factors, or diabetes, or affected target organs, compared to those with two or less risk factors (72.4% vs. 63.3%), (p < 0.001 for all). 63.6% of patients were at risk for age, 36.6% for family history of cardiovascular diseases and 31.7% for severe hypercholesterolemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BP control was inadequate in a large percentage of patients, but it was particularly unsatisfactory in the elderly and in patients with high cardiovascular risk. A cluster of cardiovascular risk factors was found in both adequately and inadequately controlled hypertensive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, S.M. delle Croci Hospital, Ravenna, Italy. mailbox@clicon.it
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cocchi
authors.forename: Ezio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Degli Esposti
authors.forename: Pierfrancesco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruffo
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buda
authors.forename: Giorgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valpiani
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sturani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors