OFFICE BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS IN HUNGARY: 3 YEAR RESULTS OF AN OPEN LABEL, PROSPECTIVE, OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Objective: Office blood pressure measurements are used to check the control of blood pressure in treated hypertensive patients. The Hungarian Hypertension Registry which is a noninterventional project of the Hungarian Society of Hypertension, was started in 2018 and will end in 2023. Our objective was to assess the control rate of hypertension in Hungary and to prove that the increase in the number if routine blood pressure measurement is associated with the higher number of controlled hypertensive subjects. Design and method: This is a multicenter, open-label, observational non-interventional study (anonymous data collection), that is performed in GPs’ practices and in outpatient clinics of cardiology and internal medicine. OMRON Medistanceâ service and validated automatic upper arm cuff BP monitors (M3 IT) are used. Data collection are performed directly from the arms of the patients (through Medistanceâ HUB 150 Mobil data procession). All anonymous blood pressure data are directly transferred to the central database. Results: 3 132 360 blood pressure (BP) measurements were done so far. Before Covid pandemic the average number of daily measurements was 5/day/office, during Covid pandemic this number decreased to 3/day/office. 14.1% of the measurements were in optimal BP range, 14.3 % in normal BP range, 16.0% in elevated-normal range, 31.5% in grade I. hypertension range, 16.8% in grade II. hypertension range and 7.3% in grade III. hypertension range. We observed a substantial seasonal variability in the average BP values: 144.1 mmHg versus 135.7 mmHg and 86.6 versus 82.4 mmHg during wintertime and summertime according to systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. Conclusions: The average number of BP measurements in the GPs’ office is low, and during the pandemic it further decreased. The measured BP results indicate, that the majority of the patients are not well-controlled. There is a substantial variability in average BP values between seasons, that has to be accounted during patients’ follow-up.