Frequency and Predictors of Communication About High Blood Pressure in Rheumatoid Arthritis Visits

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients face elevated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Higher blood pressure (BP) directly correlates with increased CVD risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate predictors of documented BP communication during RA clinic visits.
• To determine if higher BP levels correlate with increased BP communication in rheumatology settings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of RA patients with uncontrolled hypertension (HTN).
• Review of RA visit notes for documented BP communication beyond vital sign recording.
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess BP category impact on communication odds.

Main Results:

• 40% of RA patients had uncontrolled HTN; only 22% of eligible visits included BP communication.
• Visits with BP 160/100 mm Hg or higher had only a 31% predicted chance of documented communication.
• Less than 10% of eligible visits documented action steps for high BP follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Most RA clinic visits fail to document BP communication, irrespective of BP severity.
• Addressing hypertension (HTN) is crucial for mitigating CVD risk in RA.
• Further research is needed to improve BP management in rheumatology clinics.