[Methods and results of arterial hypertension control in a working population]

The health benefits of hypertension treatment at the community level depend both of the quality of the blood pressure control obtained for each patient treated individually and of the percentage of the hypertensive patients actually aware, treated and controlled for hypertension in the entire population. The data collected in 1987 in a group of 7,901 subjects working in medium-sized companies of the Paris region were analysed, and compared with those obtained in a very comparable population in 1979-80. Among patients aware of their disease, the percentage of treated patients was higher in 1987 than in 1979, 55 p. 100 and 46 p. 100 respectively in men (p less than 0.001); 70 p. 100 in 87, 59 p. 100 in 79 for women (p less than 0.01). Hypertension was treated and controlled in 27 p. 100 of the men (16 p. 100 in 1979), and 42 p. 100 of women (27 p. 100 in 1979). Awareness was significantly lower among migrant workers than among european personnel (p less than 0.001). The lower the educational level, the lower the compliance with antihypertensive treatment, ranging from 99 p. 100 for the highest educational level, to 82 p. 100 among low educated subjects (p less than 0.001). The hospitalization rate did not differ according to sociocultural factors. Hypertension was detected by the worksite physician in 51 p. 100 of the male hypertensive patients. He was the sole physician who examined 17 p. 100 of the patients in the previous year. These results suggest a moderate improvement in hypertension detection and control. However, development of intervention strategies and their evaluation are clearly needed.