Many individuals use the drug to control their high blood pressure, which is excessive blood pressure that can lead to heart attack or stroke. This form of high blood pressure, known as apparent resistant hypertension (ARH), calls for additional medication and medical care. Researchers from the Schmidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that, while the prevalence of ARH in real-world samples was lower than previously thought, it was still very frequent, affecting approximately one in every ten high blood pressure patients. used to do.
The findings were published today in the peer-reviewed journal Hypertension. The researchers observed that people with well-controlled ARH were more likely to be treated with a common drug called a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, or MRA.
“Clearly resistant hypertension is more common than many people expect,” said Joseph Ebinger, MD, assistant professor of cardiology at the Schmidt Heart Institute and corresponding author of the study. “We also learned that within this high-risk population, there are large differences in how providers treat hypertension, exemplifying the need to standardize care.”
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The study’s findings were based on a unique design, using clinically generated data from electronic health records from three large, geographically diverse health care organizations. According to Ebinger, treating ARH can be just as difficult as diagnosing it.
In fact, the “apparent” in apparent resistant hypertension stems from the fact that before making a diagnosis, medical professionals must first rule out other possible causes for a patient’s blood pressure to be high. These causes may include non-adherence to medication, inappropriate drug selection, or artificially raised blood pressure in the doctor’s office – known as “white coat hypertension”.
“A large amount of data tells us that patients with ARH have the highest risk of adverse cardiovascular events compared to those with non-resistant forms of hypertension,” said Ebinger, director of clinical analytics at the Schmidt Heart Institute. “It is increasingly important to identify these patients and identify possible causes of their elevated blood pressure.”
Ebinger says the key thing is awareness — for both medical professionals and patients. He says providers should be aware that if a patient is taking four or more antihypertensive drugs to control blood pressure, they should consider evaluation for alternative causes of high blood pressure, or treat patients Should be sent to a specialist.
Similarly, patients must rely on their medical providers to help them cope with complex disease, including conversations about remembering to take their medications and strategies for addressing potential treatment side effects. Treating patients with complex cardiac problems such as ARH is at the heart of Cedars-Sinai’s expertise.
The Schmidt Heart Institute was recently awarded the American Heart Association’s Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification, a recognition of the institute’s commitment to following proven, research-based treatment guidelines for the care of people with complex or difficult-to-treat hypertension. gives recognition to
“This recognition, combined with our clinical and research expertise in hypertensive diseases, serves as a symbol of excellence,” said Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH, chair of the Department of Cardiology and Lee in Cardiology. And said Harold Kapelowitz Distinguished Speaker. “These efforts signal to patients, healthcare providers and the community that the Schmidt Heart Institute is committed to providing evidence-based, comprehensive care for hypertension.”