Prevalence of drug resistant hypertension

Hypertension patients (1781), drawn from seven large employee groups in and around New York City, were studied to determine the prevalence of resistant hypertension among them. The blood pressure criteria for resistance (potential resistance) were failure to reach and maintain a blood pressure less than 160/95 mm Hg on two separate occasions during at least 1 year of treatment. Confirmed resistance required that during the same period of follow-up, in which at least two antihypertensive agents had been prescribed simultaneously, blood pressure control had not been achieved. Potential resistance during 1 year of treatment was found in 75 patients (4.2%), and confirmed resistance for the same period was found in 52 patients (2.9%). Diastolic resistance was far more common than systolic; the systolic/diastolic resistance was the rarest of all. Of the 52 patients with confirmed resistance for the first year, 33 achieved control in subsequent years. In sum, true resistance as defined by rigorous criteria pertaining to the hypotensive effects of pharmacological intervention in the general population is exceedingly rare.