Resistant hypertension in visceral obesity

Visceral obesity increases the risk of arterial hypertension (78% of cases of hypertension in men and 65% of cases in women). The aim of the study is to assess the role of visceral obesity in causing resistant hypertension (RH).

The survey was performed on 5065 hypertensive patients with visceral obesity. BP control was analyzed on the basis of office and home BP measurements. Patients reporting non-compliance were excluded from the study.

The percentage of RH after excluding undertreated patients (receiving less than 3 drugs or on at least 3-drug regimen without diuretic and without reaching target BP goal) was 13.9%. RH was more frequent only in obese with BMI ≥ 35 and <40 kg/m(2) (16.2%) and in morbidly obese individuals (26.5%). Patients with BMI ≥ 35 and <40 kg/m(2) and with morbid obesity were receiving three-drug therapy more frequently than patients with visceral obesity and BMI<30 kg/m(2). A multiple regression analysis revealed that obesity was associated with RH independent from longer than 5-year period of antihypertensive therapy, diabetes, smoking cigarettes, cardiovascular disease and heart failure. The analysis of home BP measurement revealed that in 11.1% of patients RH was in fact "white coat" hypertension.

Undertreatment, underuse of diuretics in multidrug regimens, and the "white-coat" effect are the most common reasons for over-diagnosing resistant hypertension in patients with visceral obesity. Obesity is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of RH.