Refractory Hypertension: Definition, Prevalence, and Patient Characteristics

• Published in: The journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 7 - 12
• Main Authors: Acelajado, Maria Czarina, Pisoni, Roberto, Dudenbostel, Tanja, Dell’Italia, Louis J., Cartmill, Falynn, Zhang, Bin, Cofield, Stacey S., Oparil, Suzanne, Calhoun, David A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2012
• Subjects: Adult; Anthropometry - methods; Antihypertensive Agents - administration & dosage; Antihypertensive Agents - adverse effects; Antihypertensive Agents - pharmacokinetics; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Blood Pressure Determination; Comorbidity; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Drug Therapy, Combination - methods; Female; Heart Rate - drug effects; Humans; Hypertension - diagnosis; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertension - metabolism; Hypertension - physiopathology; Kidney Function Tests - methods; Male; Middle Aged; Original Paper; Original Papers; Prevalence; Renin-Angiotensin System - drug effects; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome; Water-Electrolyte Imbalance - drug therapy; Water-Electrolyte Imbalance - metabolism
• ISSN: 1524-6175; 1751-7176
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2011.00556.x

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). Among patients with resistant hypertension (RHTN), there are those whose blood pressure (BP) remains uncontrolled in spite of maximal medical therapy. This retrospective analysis aims to characterize these patients with refractory hypertension. Refractory hypertension was defined as BP that remained uncontrolled after ≥3 visits to a hypertension clinic within a minimum 6‐month follow‐up period. Of the 304 patients referred for RHTN, 29 (9.5%) remained refractory to treatment. Patients with refractory hypertension and those with controlled RHTN had similar aldosterone levels and plasma renin activity (PRA). Patients with refractory hypertension had higher baseline BP (175±23/97±15 mm Hg vs 158±25/89±15 mm Hg; P=.001/.005) and heart rate, and higher rates of prior stroke and congestive heart failure. During follow‐up, the BP of patients with refractory hypertension remained uncontrolled (168.4±14.8/93.8±17.7 mm Hg) in spite of use of an average of 6 antihypertensive medications, while those of patients with controlled RHTN decreased to 129.3±11.2/77.6±10.8 mm Hg. Spironolactone reduced the BP by 12.9±17.8/6.6±13.7 mm Hg in patients with refractory hypertension and by 24.1±16.7/9.2±12.0 mm Hg in patients with controlled RHTN. In patients with RHTN, approximately 10% remain refractory to treatment. Similar aldosterone and PRA levels and a diminished response to spironolactone suggest that aldosterone excess does not explain the treatment failure.