Background: The treatment of the hypertensive patient has as its primary goal to reduce hypertension-induced morbidity and mortality. Current strategies include individual risk assessment, taking into account not only blood pressure values, but also other cardiovascular risk factors and the presence of organ damage. Type and intensity of treatment approach vary according to the level of risk. In 2003, The Seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC7) listed 66 antihypertensive drugs with 27 combinations (24 with a diuretic) for treating patients with systemic hypertension.
Aims & Objective: The aim of this study was to review the degree of hypertension control at NCOHC general clinics in comparison to OHC general clinics and to evaluate the trend of physicians towards changing treatment to achieve the optimum control of hypertension according to JNC7 guidelines.
Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of medical files of 208 hypertensive patients; this study was conducted at the NCOHC & OHC, which are peripheral clinics of Riyadh Military Hospital. All files were collected for the patients with hypertension in the two clinics (208) which was accepted through research committee of the hospital. The files of the two clinics were viewed separately, and the data was analyzed.
Results: All medical files of 208 hypertensive patients were analyzed, 79 and 129 patients at OHC and NCOHC respectively, including age, sex, mean blood pressure, drugs used, and trend of physicians to change or add medication to maintain within normal Blood pressure. The main number of patients having blood pressure ranged between [100/80-140/80] of different age and sex were females at OHC, and the opposite is at NCOHC. And most of the patients were between ages 51-75 years. Single or compound drugs were used in different ranges of blood pressure, either due to uncontrolled blood pressure or in order to reduce the side effects of one drug leading to adding another drug .This is measured by the trend of doctors towered changing treatment, were it sometime occurs by increasing the dose or adding or changing to a new medication, or by enhancing life style modification.
Conclusion: As hypertension is a disease of multifactorial etiology, non-pharmacological means of reducing factors resulting in hypertension and uncontrolled blood pressure are as important as pharmacological means .increasing awareness among general population about the importance of regular exercise, eating more vegetables and fruits and avoiding fat and stopping smoking is very important and cost effective.
Key words: Hypertension; Control; JNC7 Guidelines; Doctors; Saudi Arabia
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