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Prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension in primary care: gaps, trends, and opportunities

Robert J Petrella1, Elizabeth P Merikle, Jared Jones

  • 1Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. petrella@uwo.ca

Journal of Clinical Hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.)
|January 12, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Hypertension affects 17.3% of Canadians in primary care, with most cases untreated. Combination therapy improved blood pressure control, especially for high-risk patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Primary Care Research
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Hypertension management is primarily within family practice settings.
  • Understanding prevalence, treatment, and control in primary care is crucial for addressing the hypertension burden in Canada.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence, treatment, and control rates of hypertension in Canadian primary care between 2000 and 2003.
  • To identify subgroups with varying treatment and control outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a large primary care research database.
  • Analyzed blood pressure recordings to estimate hypertension rates.
  • Compared monotherapy versus combination therapy for blood pressure control.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of hypertension was 17.3%.
  • A significant majority (68.6%) of patients had untreated hypertension.
  • Only 15.8% achieved treated and controlled blood pressure.
  • Older adults, patients with type II diabetes, and those with prior myocardial infarction showed higher treatment and control rates.
  • Combination therapy significantly improved odds of achieving target blood pressure compared to monotherapy.

Conclusions:

  • Hypertension prevalence in Canadian primary care is substantial, with a high proportion of untreated cases.
  • While overall control rates are low, increased patient risk factors correlate with better treatment and control.
  • Combination therapy represents a more effective strategy for achieving blood pressure targets.

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