Hypertensive patients in a general practice setting: comparative analysis between controlled and uncontrolled hypertension.

OBJECTIVE To study the differences between controlled and uncontrolled hypertensive patients. METHODS This was a cross-sectional observational study of the hypertensive population on the lists of three general practitioners in the district of Coimbra in central Portugal in 2013, with a margin of error of 6% and 95% confidence interval in each sample, organized in ascending order of health care user numbers. Data were gathered electronically by the investigators after approval by the Regional Health Authority's ethics committee. RESULTS A sample of 201 individuals was studied, of whom 104 (51.7%) were male and 86 (42.8%) were aged under 65 (p=0.127 for gender and age-group). Hypertension was controlled in 130 (64.7%). We found significant differences in target organ damage, more frequent in those with controlled hypertension (33.1% vs. 19.7%, p=0.031), in hypertension control, better in those taking at least one anti-hypertensive drug at night (56.9% vs. 29.6%, p<0.001), and in prescription of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, more frequent in those with uncontrolled hypertension (11.3% vs. 3.8%, p=0.043). CONCLUSION Hypertension control is significantly associated with target organ damage, taking at least one anti-hypertensive drug at night and not taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs simultaneously.