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Blood pressure management in a cohort of hypertensive patients in Germany treated by cardiologists

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Abstract

Background

In Germany, an estimated 20–25 million patients suffer from hypertension. Blood pressure control rates are, however, lower than in many other European countries and the USA. The present analysis reports blood pressure treatment and control rates in Germany in patients with hypertension treated by cardiologists.

Methods

The present analysis reports data from a German subgroup analysis of a large, multinational, observational survey i-SEARCH that recruited patients in 2005/2006. It reports blood pressure readings, drug utilization and control rates in cardiology practice.

Results

A total of 4,982 patients were documented at 417 sites. Mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) was 152 ± 19.5/88.4 ± 11.5 mmHg. SBP was 1.3 mmHg higher in men than in women (p = 0.021). The majority of patients had an SBP between 141 and 160 mmHg and 31.4% of patients had normal SBP. Overall blood pressure control rate was only 11.6% [95% CI 10.7–12.6] in treated patients. It was different in men [10.2%; 95% CI 9.0–11.6] than in women [8.1%; 95% CI 7.1–9.4; p = 0.008] and higher in patients without diabetes [12.7%; 95% CI 11.6–14.0] than in those with diabetes [4.3%; 95% CI 3.4–5.4; p < 0.0001]. One-third of patients received either monotherapy or dual therapy, or three and more drugs, respectively; 42.2% of patients received guideline-recommended dual combination therapy. A combination of beta-blockers + ACE inhibitors was most frequently prescribed (30.8%).

Conclusions

Our data indicate a low level of blood pressure control, especially in patients at an increased risk for cardiovascular events, such as those with diabetes or cardiovascular comorbidities. Major efforts are required to improve hypertension management as recommend by current treatment guidelines.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Sam Zhong for the statistical support provided. The study was supported by Sanofi-Aventis, Paris, France.

Conflict of interest

MT, LR and WDP are employees of the sponsors of the study. PB, MB, WK and UT have been consulting for Sanofi-Aventis and received speaker honoraria and research support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University, Dresden, Germany

    Martin Thoenes & Wilhelm Kirch

  2. Sanofi-Aventis Global Medical Affairs, Paris, France

    Martin Thoenes

  3. Klinikum Lippe GmbH, Fachbereich Herz-Kreislauf-Lunge-Niere, Röntgenstrasse 18, 32756, Detmold, Germany

    Ulrich Tebbe

  4. Sanofi-Aventis, Abteilung Medizin, Berlin, Germany

    Ludger Rosin & W. Dieter Paar

  5. Institute for Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Epidemiology, Mahlow, Germany

    Peter Bramlage

  6. Klinik III für Innere Medizin, Kardiologie, Angiologie und Intensivmedizin, Universität des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, Germany

    Michael Böhm

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  1. Martin Thoenes
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  2. Ulrich Tebbe
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  3. Ludger Rosin
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  4. W. Dieter Paar
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  5. Peter Bramlage
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  6. Wilhelm Kirch
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  7. Michael Böhm
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ulrich Tebbe.

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Thoenes, M., Tebbe, U., Rosin, L. et al. Blood pressure management in a cohort of hypertensive patients in Germany treated by cardiologists. Clin Res Cardiol 100, 483–491 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-010-0271-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-010-0271-2

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