New Diagnostic Criteria for Overmedication in Systemic Arterial Hypertension

Guidelines on managing arterial blood pressure have begun to include lower targets, despite the risk for overmedication-induced hypotension. Because there is no consensus as to what constitutes overmedication in the treatment of hypertension, we conducted a study to develop relevant diagnostic criteria.

We used ambulatory monitoring during a 24-hour period to measure blood pressure in 567 patients with medication-controlled hypertension. We then divided this cohort into 3 groups. Group A (n = 413 [72.8%]) comprised patients in whom less than 10% of systolic blood pressure measurements were less than 100 mm Hg (no or mild hypotension). Group B (n = 154 [27.2%]) comprised patients in whom 10% or more of the measurements were less than 100 mm Hg, signifying overmedication. Group C comprised those patients in Group B in whom 20% or more of the measurements were less than 100 mm Hg (n = 74 [48.1%]; attributed to "accentuated" overmedication). Group C patients were prescribed significantly more antihypertensive drugs than were group A patients.

Our findings support a 2-part definition of overmedication in hypertension treatment: (1) mild overmedication, in which 10% or more but less than 20% of systolic blood pressure measurements are less than 100 mm Hg in the awake state and less than 90 mm Hg during sleep; and (2) accentuated overmedication, characterized by 20% or more of valid systolic blood pressure measurements less than 100 mm Hg in the awake state and less than 90 mm Hg during sleep, during a 24-hour period.

We think this guidance will help to avoid overmedicating and consequences such as fainting and falls when systolic blood pressure is too low.