Profiles of patients who control the doses of their antihypertensive drugsby self-monitoring of home blood pressure

The present study profiled patients who control doses of antihypertensive d rugs by themselves based on self-monitoring of their blood pressure (self-c ontrollers). A total of 1,028 consecutive outpatients who were taking antih ypertensive drugs and who were attending the cardiovascular outpatient clin ic of our institute responded to a questionnaire in 1998. They were asked h ow often they measured their blood pressure, how often they missed taking t heir medication, and whether or not they had a chance to adjust the doses o f antihypertensive drugs by themselves based on self-monitored blood pressu re. The frequency of self-controlling of antihypertensive drugs was also ex amined in 918 patients on antihypertensive drugs in 1997. In 1997, 23 of 91 8 patients (2.5%) were self-controllers, and 26 of 1,028 patients (2.5%) we re self-controllers in 1998, The frequency of home blood-pressure measureme nt was significantly greater in self-controllers than in the remaining pati ents (non self-controllers) (p <0.01), The prevalence of proteinuria was si gnificantly less in the former than in the latter. Prior to the start of an tihypertensive drugs, blood pressure was significantly lower for the self-c ontrollers (154.4 +/-3.8/96.4 +/-1.4 mmHg) than for the non self-controller s (169.3 +/-0.7/101.7 +/-0.4 mmHg) (p < 0.001). Clinically measured blood p ressures did not differ significantly between the self-controllers and non self-controllers. Thus, about 2.5% of patients on antihypertensive drugs co ntrolled their drug doses by themselves based on self-monitoring of their b lood pressure. These patients were characterized by having a milder form of hypertension and by more frequent home blood-pressure measurement than non self-controllers.