title: [Blood pressure control in hospital units in Spain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Blood pressure (BP) control has been extensively studied in patients attended in primary care but reports in the hospital setting, which includes referral units, are scarce. The aim was to evaluate the degree of BP control in hypertensive patients attended in referral units.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 1,550 hypertensive subjects (41.5% women) with a mean age of 64 (12) years, who were receiving antihypertensive drugs. The degree of BP control was estimated in a single visit by the proportion of patients with BP below 140/90 mm Hg.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BP was controlled in 653 patients (42%). In comparison, those whose BP was not controlled were more frequently women (odds ratio [OR] 1.57; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.23-1.99), obese (OR 1.28; 95%CI 1.00-1.63), smokers (OR 1.78; 95%CI 1.36-2.34), had left ventricular hypertrophy (OR 1.86; 95%CI 1.46-2.36) and elevated values of total serum cholesterol (OR 1.50; 95%CI 1.19-1.90) and triglycerides (OR 1.63; 95%CI 1.29-2.07). Therapeutical inertia was observed in 39% of uncontrolled patients. In a subgroup of patients who underwent ambulatory BP monitoring, discordance between measurements was only present in 23% (9.8 with isolated clinic hypertension and 13.1% with masked hypertension).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The degree of BP control in patients attended in referral units is estimated in 42% and has not been modified in the last decade. Although therapeutical effort and inertia have improved, this only compensates the increased risk and comorbidities of attended patients, making more difficult the control of BP values.
authors: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Universidad de Barcelona, Terrassa, Barcelona, España. adelasierra@mutuaterrassa.es
authors: Alejandro
authors: A
authors: de la Sierra
authors: Vivencio
authors: V
authors: Barrios
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: González-Segura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000453:epidemiology; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013030:Spain; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents