Abstract
Two thousand and twenty hypertensive patients of 45 years and over were treated and followed up for either 6 months, 12 months, 18 months or 2 years. Seventeen hundred and forty of these patients were seen in hospital outpatient clinics, 280 in general practice.
The patients followed in general practice had an average blood pressure of 182/111 mmHg prior to treatment. The blood pressure after follow-up for 18-24 months averaged 156/97 mmHg. The corresponding results for the patients followed in hospital clinics were 195/115 mmHg untreated and 150/92 mmHg after follow-up.
The untreated blood pressures were higher in the hospital patients (p < 0·001 for systolic, p < 0·05 for diastolic pressure) and the treated diastolic pressures at 18-24 months were lower in the hospital than the general practice group (p < 0·001). The hospital patients did not receive a greater variety of drugs but were prescribed them in higher doses. Blood pressure control was considered to be inadequate in many patients in both groups. At 18-24 months, 26 per cent of the general practice group had diastolic pressures of 105 mmHg or more, as had 13 per cent of the patients followed in the hospital clinics.
- © Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners