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2,952 Patients (P) underwent 3,135
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitors (ABPM)
between December 1997 and December 2000.
Only the initial ABPM was used for this
analysis. Of the 2,952 P with ABPM, 442 P
had no drug information and were excluded
from analysis. Another 506 P were
normotensive on no antihypertensive drugs
and were also excluded. The remaining 2004 P
with ABPM make up the study population. For
simplicity only the systolic blood pressure
(SBP) was used for determining control of
blood pressure. For comparability with usual
office SBP data only the daytime SBP was
analysed.
DEFINITIONS.
(A) Untreated and uncontrolled.
(1)Daytime SBP of >140mmHg by ABPM, and,
(2)No antihypertensive drugs.
(B) Treated and uncontrolled.
(1)Daytime average SBP of >140mmHg by
ABPM, and, (2)Taking antihypertensive drugs.
(C) Treated and controlled.
(1)Daytime average SBP of <140mmHg by
ABPM, and, (2)Taking antihypertensive drugs.
RESULTS.
Of the 2004 hypertensive P, 754 (37.6%) were
treated and controlled, 739 (36.9%) were
treated and not controlled, and 511 (25.5%)
were untreated and not controlled (table
1.).
CONCLUSIONS.
The percentage of P treated (74.5%) and
treated with contol (37.6%) is substantially
better than previously reported in the 1997
Canadian, Awareness, treatement and
controlled Blood Pressure survey. In that
survey 49% of P were treated, but only 16%
were controlled. Although this analysis
shows better results (table 1.), the overall
control is clearly still suboptimal. Of
interest the untreated group had similar SBP
levels to the treated and not controlled
group, possibly indicating that the treating
Physicians may well have felt that most of
these P's SBP were satisfactory despite not
being below the current recommended
guideline SBP levels.
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