Are we treating enough patients for hypertension?

Abstract

International comparisons indicate a two- to three-fold overall difference in the therapeutic intensity with antihypertensive drugs. In the District of Novi Sad in Yugoslavia, the use of antihypertensive drugs is among the lowest. The differences cannot be explained from the prevalence of hypertension. The evaluation of the existing practice in the treatment of hypertension was studied in a community of 6017 inhabitants with 756 hypertensive patients within the District of Novi Sad. The intensity of antihypertensive medication expressed in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day was compared with the number of hypertensive patients requiring drug therapy. Patients requiring therapy were classified into two groups: those having blood pressure above the age adjusted border levels and those who received at least the minimum daily therapeutic dose of antihypertensive medication. It is concluded that the volume of prescribed antihypertensive drugs, although lower compared to Nordic countries, might still be almost sufficient to meet the needs of patients who need drug therapy according to the criteria defined (if borderline hypertension is not treated).