New study enhances understanding of treatment-resistant hypertension

For many patients with hypertension-an elevated blood pressure that can lead to stroke or heart attack-medication keeps the condition at bay. But what happens when medication that physicians usually prescribe doesn’t work? Known as apparent resistant hypertension (aRH), this form of high blood pressure requires more medication and medical management.

Novel research from investigators in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, published in the peer-reviewed journal Hypertension, found that aRH prevalence was lower in a real-world sample than previously reported, but still relatively frequent—affecting nearly 1 in 10 hypertensive patients.

Through their analysis, investigators also learned that patients with well-managed aRH were more likely to be treated with a commonplace medication called mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, or MRA. These MRA treatments were used in 34% of patients with controlled aRH, but only 11% of patients with uncontrolled aRH.

Study findings were based on a unique design, which used clinically generated data from the electronic health records of three large, geographically diverse healthcare organizations. Of the 2,420,468 patients analyzed in the study, 55% were hypertensive. Of these hypertension patients, 8.5%, or 113,992 individuals, met criteria for aRH.

Reference: Characterization of Individuals with Apparent Resistant Hypertension Using Contemporary Guidelines: Insights from CV-QUIC,Hypertension DOI10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.20894