Study provides further insight into hypertension that is resistant to therapy

Many individuals use medicine to control their hypertension which is excessive blood pressure that can lead to a heart attack or stroke This form of high blood pressure known as apparent resistant hypertension aRH demands extra medication and medical careResearchers at CedarsSinais Smidt Heart Institute discovered that while aRH prevalence was lower in a realworld sample than previously assumed it was still very frequent impacting roughly one in every ten hypertension patients The findings were published today in the peerreviewed journal Hypertension Researchers observed that those with wellcontrolled aRH were more likely to be treated with a common medicine known as mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist or MRAApparent resistant hypertension is more common than many would anticipate said Joseph Ebinger MD assistant professor of Cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute and corresponding author of the study We also learned that within this highrisk population there are large differences in how providers treat high blood pressure exemplifying a need to standardize care Study findings were based on a unique design which used clinically generated data from the electronic health records of three large geographically diverse healthcare organizationsAccording to Ebinger treating aRH can be just as tricky as diagnosing itIn fact the apparent in apparent resistant hypertension stems from the fact that before diagnosis medical professionals must first rule out other potential reasons for a patients blood pressure to be high These reasons might include medication nonadherence inappropriate medication selection or artificially elevated blood pressure in the doctors office known as white coat hypertensionLarge amounts of data tell us that patients with aRH compared to those with nonresistant forms of hypertension are at greatest risk for adverse cardiovascular events said Ebinger director of Clinical Analytics in the Smidt Heart Institute Identifying these patients and possible causes for their elevated blood pressure is increasingly importantThe takeaway Ebinger says is awareness for both medical professionals and patients He says providers should be mindful that if its taking four or more antihypertensive medications to control a patients blood pressure they should consider evaluation for alternative causes of hypertension or refer patients to a specialistSimilarly patients should lean on their medical providers to help them navigate the complex disease including having a conversation around strategies for remembering to take their medication and addressing possible treatment side effectsTreating patients with complex cardiac issues like aRH is at the heart of CedarsSinais expertiseThe Smidt Heart Institute was recently awarded the American Heart Associations Comprehensive Hypertension Center Certification recognizing the institutes commitment to following proven researchbased treatment guidelines to care for people with complex or difficulttotreat hypertensionThis accreditation coupled with our clinical and research expertise in hypertensive diseases serves as a mark of excellence said Christine M Albert MD MPH chair of the Department of Cardiology and the Lee and Harold Kapelovitz Distinguished Chair in Cardiology These efforts signal to patients healthcare providers and the community that the Smidt Heart Institute is committed to delivering evidencebased comprehensive care for hypertensionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever