GENERAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN 1996 - DATA FROM THE FAMUS REGISTER OF QUEBEC

OBJECTIVE To describe the treatment of hypertension, alone or in combi nation with associated conditions, by a group of general practitioners in the FAMUS network and to compare these treatment patterns to the r ecommendations of the Canadian Hypertension Society Consensus. DESIGN Descriptive study based on data collected by 233 physicians in the FAM US provincial register on hypertensive patients treated in 1996. PARTI CIPANTS Developed between 1992 and 1996, the register contains 52 505 patients, 9 094 of whom have high blood pressure. These patients consu lted their general practitioners for a complete examination, The data concern the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and include dhe li st of medications prescribed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Evaluation of the proportions in which various classes of medications were prescribed, a nd the most common combinations in relation to the presence or absence of associated conditions. RESULTS Of the 4 049 hypertensive patients seen in 1996, 50.2% were treated with one medication; 32.9% were treat ed with more than one medication; and 16.9% received no antihypertensi ve medication. The most frequently prescribed medications were calcium channel blockers (26.1%), followed by diuretics (25.3%), angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitors (24.3%), and beta-blockers (20.0%). Other agents made up the remaining 4.3% of prescriptions. The proportions w ere similar for patients without complications who received one medica tion. CONCLUSIONS Results of this study suggest that the new molecules are widely used and that treatment patterns differ from the recommend ations of the Canadian Hypertension Society Consensus, particularly in the absence of associated conditions.