The impact of cardiovascular profile on persistence associated with antihypertensive medications

Antihypertensive drug treatment (AHT) is effective in reducing the risks of cardiovascular events, but long-term persistence is required to achieve these benefits. The aim of the present study was to evaluate persistence with antihypertensive treatment in France.

A total of 6924 patients, first prescribed for hypertension in 2008, were retrospectively studied from the principal French National Public Health Insurance Scheme database. Persistence was defined as remaining on therapy at the end of the 12 months postindex date. Cox proportional hazards regression models controlled for demographics and cardiovascular profile. Over 1 year, 65% of patients were persistent and 16% maintained the initial therapy. When correcting for significant factors determining persistence, a 13% risk reduction of discontinuation is observed with angiotensin II antagonists (AIIAs) and 11% with angiotensin-converting enzymes inhibitors (ACE) compared with thiazide diuretics. Persistence therapy depended significantly on the cardiovascular profile. In the secondary prevention subgroup (18% of the study population), no statistically significant differences were observed between thiazide diuretics and the four major classes. In contrast, a 19% risk reduction of discontinuation is observed with AIIA and with ACE compared with thiazide diuretics for primary prevention patients without diabetes or hyperlipidaemia.

When choosing AHT agents for patients with essential hypertension, practitioners are primarily driven by the cardiovascular profile of patients. The study suggests that the therapeutic decision must encompass the individual 'persistence risk', the latter not being independent from the cardiovascular risk.