Summary
Objectives
The aim of the present study was mainly to evaluate age- and gender-dependent isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) prevalence before and during antihypertensive treatment, and to evaluate pulse pressure (PP) distributions during antihypertensive treatment in almost 20,000 Slovene hypertensive patients.
Methods
The study was conducted as part of the “Quality of Healthcare in Slovenia” project, in agreement with the National Medical Ethics Committee of the Republic of Slovenia. Appropriate statistical analyses and evaluations were performed.
Results
The prevalence of ISH before the treatment was 19.6 % (17.0 % for men and 21.4 % for women) and it was significantly (p < 0.001) higher during the treatment (29.6 %; 26.4 % for men and 31.9 % for women). The mean PP before the treatment for the whole study patient sample was (71.2 ± 16.9) mmHg and was significantly (p < 0.001) reduced during the treatment to (57.4 ± 12.5) mmHg.
Conclusion
With regard to high ISH in treated Slovene hypertensive patients, quality of ISH control may not be optimal and should be improved. On the other hand, the adequate arterial hypertension (AH) control (systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) < 90 mmHg) was achieved in 55.6 % of patients. Our observations may have useful therapeutic implications in the management of AH, particularly ISH in the elderly.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would sincerely like to thank all the family medicine physicians who were willing to participate in this study. We also thank Mr Alojz Tapajner from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor for his help on performing statistical analyses as well as for his useful suggestions in interpreting statistical results.
Conflicts of interest in the manuscript, including financial, consultant, institutional, and other relationships
The authors declare that there are no actual or potential conflicts of interest in relation to this article.
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Pal, M., Ferk, P., Leskošek, B. et al. Prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) in Slovene hypertensive patients: insights from the “Quality of Healthcare in Slovenia” project. Wien Klin Wochenschr 127 (Suppl 5), 247–254 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-015-0765-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-015-0765-z