A POPULATION-BASED SURVEY OF DRUG-TREATMENT EFFICACY BY THE FRENCH NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE CONTROL OF ARTERIAL-HYPERTENSION

To assess the adequacy of antihypertensive treatment in the French pop ulation, a survey was conducted from October 1990 to April 1991 in fiv e French cities during sales exhibitions. A total of 7107 individuals visited the stand of the French National Committee to have their blood pressure (BP) measured. Among them, 1289 were treated hypertensive su bjects fully aware of their treatment. The efficacy of antihypertensiv e treatment was assessed in this population. Among those hypertensive treated subjects 35 to 65 years old, 60% had a BP < 160/95 mm Hg and 2 7% < 140/90 mm Hg. Among those > 64 years of age, 44% had a BP < 160/9 0 mm Hg. In 1992, these results were included in a publication by the World Hypertension League. Data obtained with this new and interesting approach were reviewed 4 years later. The approach is inexpensive (th e equivalent of US $28,000) and made it possible to directly inform th ousands of people, normotensive and hypertensive, about arterial hyper tension and antihypertensive drug therapy, as well as risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This kind of approach may be worth a strict e valuation, to assess whether it is really useful in improving high blo od pressure control in the population. Am J Hypertens 1998;11:903-904 (C) 1998 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.