EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RISK IN HYPERTENSIVES - EXPERIENCE IN TREATED PATIENTS

Knowledge of the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in hyper tensive patients derives primarily from observation of populations com posed largely of untreated subjects. Increasingly, however, individual s with elevated blood pressure are treated. An 18-year observational s tudy of 8690 participants in a systematic hypertension control project reveals that cardiovascular events continue to be the principal morbi d and mortal outcomes. Over time, the incidence of stroke and heart at tack remained stable, whereas congestive heart failure (CHF), as a fir st event, increased tenfold after 10 years. Diabetes and evidence of v ascular disease at entry predicted morbidity. Persisting cardiovascula r morbidity in the face of satisfactory blood pressure control suggest s the need for additional preventive intervention. Am J Hypertens 1998 ;11:874-876 (C) 1998 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.