title: Blood pressure management in a cohort of hypertensive patients in Germany treated by cardiologists.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Germany, an estimated 20-25 million patients suffer from hypertension. Blood pressure control rates are, however, lower than in many other European countries and the USA. The present analysis reports blood pressure treatment and control rates in Germany in patients with hypertension treated by cardiologists.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present analysis reports data from a German subgroup analysis of a large, multinational, observational survey i-SEARCH that recruited patients in 2005/2006. It reports blood pressure readings, drug utilization and control rates in cardiology practice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4,982 patients were documented at 417 sites. Mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) was 152 ± 19.5/88.4 ± 11.5 mmHg. SBP was 1.3 mmHg higher in men than in women (p = 0.021). The majority of patients had an SBP between 141 and 160 mmHg and 31.4% of patients had normal SBP. Overall blood pressure control rate was only 11.6% [95% CI 10.7-12.6] in treated patients. It was different in men [10.2%; 95% CI 9.0-11.6] than in women [8.1%; 95% CI 7.1-9.4; p = 0.008] and higher in patients without diabetes [12.7%; 95% CI 11.6-14.0] than in those with diabetes [4.3%; 95% CI 3.4-5.4; p < 0.0001]. One-third of patients received either monotherapy or dual therapy, or three and more drugs, respectively; 42.2% of patients received guideline-recommended dual combination therapy. A combination of beta-blockers + ACE inhibitors was most frequently prescribed (30.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate a low level of blood pressure control, especially in patients at an increased risk for cardiovascular events, such as those with diabetes or cardiovascular comorbidities. Major efforts are required to improve hypertension management as recommend by current treatment guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thoenes
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tebbe
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosin
authors.forename: W Dieter
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Paar
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bramlage
authors.forename: Wilhelm
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kirch
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Böhm
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002309:Cardiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents