title: Trends in blood pressure control and medication use during 20 years in a hypertension clinic in Japan.
abstract: Guidelines for the management of hypertension have recommended strict control of blood pressure to help prevent cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the current status of blood pressure control and trends over the past two decades. Four hundred patients treated for hypertension at Kyushu University Hospital were included in the present study. Blood pressure levels and prescribed antihypertensive drugs were examined in 2011. The average blood pressure was 129/74 mmHg, and the number of prescribed antihypertensive drugs was 2.2. Angiotensin II receptor antagonists, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, alpha-blockers, and beta-blockers were prescribed in 66%, 5%, 78%, 21%, 12%, and 27% of the cases, respectively. Systolic blood pressure was significantly higher, and diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower in patients aged 80 years or older compared with the younger patients (<80 and ≥80 years, 128/75 mmHg and 133/68 mmHg, respectively). The number of prescribed antihypertensive drugs was similar between the two groups. Sixty-five patients were continuously treated for 20 years. The average blood pressure of these patients significantly decreased from 142/87 mmHg in 1991 to 128/71 mmHg in 2011, accompanied with an increase in the number of antihypertensive drugs from 1.6 in 1991 to 2.7 in 2011. These findings suggest that the revised guidelines for the management of hypertension may have contributed to increased awareness and better management of blood pressure levels.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.|b Department of Internal Medicine , Fukuoka Dental College , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kansui
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ibaraki
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Haga
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Takunori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takiguchi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohtsubo
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Takanari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitazono
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine and Clinical Science , Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University , Fukuoka , Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000639:trends; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents
keywords: Antihypertensive treatment; blood pressure; elderly hypertensives; guidelines; hypertension