Cardiovascular risk and blood pressure control in a Spanish hypertensive population attended in a Primary Care setting. Data from the PRESCAP 2006 study

Aims. To analyse the cardiovascular risk of a broad sample of hypertensive patients and to examine whether there are differences in blood pressure control and associated factors according to the different cardiovascular risk categories. Major findings. A total of 10,520 patients >= 18 years old were included (mean age 64.6 +/- 11.3 years; 53.7% women). In this cohort, 3.3% were average risk, 22.6% low added risk, 22.2% moderate added risk, 33.5% high added risk and 18.4% very high added risk. Blood pressure was controlled in 41.4% (95% CI 40.5-42.4) of the total population, in 91.7% of patients with low added risk, in 19.4% with moderate added risk, in 27.4% with high added risk and in 6.8% with very high added risk. Diabetes was the factor most strongly associated with poor blood pressure control in patients with high to very high added risk (OR=7.2; p<0.0001). Principal conclusion. More than half of the hypertensive patients treated in primary health care have a high or very high added cardiovascular risk. In these patients, blood pressure control is inadequate and diabetes is associated with a sevenfold increase in the likelihood of poor blood pressure control.