Proportion of isolated clinical hypertension in primary care settings. Comparison of target organ damage in patients with isolated clinical hypertension and patients with sustained arterial hypertension

The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of isolated clinical hypertension (ICH) in newly diagnosed hypertensive patients, and to compare the incidence of target organ damage (TOD) in ICH and sustained hypertension patients. Participants. In a multi-centre study involving 14 primary care centres in Girona, Spain, 140 researchers recruited 214 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients 15-75 years of age, without history of cardiovascular events. Period of study. 2004-6. Method. Self-blood pressure monitoring (SBPM) and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Evaluation. Anamnesis including blood pressure, physical examination and analysis (creatinine, albumin/creatinine index), electrocardiogram (left ventricular hypertrophy) and retinography (fundus damage). Results. In 129 (60.3%) subjects with sustained hypertension and 85 (39.7%) with ICH, no significant differences were found relative to gender, age, body mass index or blood pressure (155/90 vs 154/90 mmHg, respectively). Cholesterol levels were significant differences between both groups (5.97 mmol/l in sustained hypertension vs 5.64 mmol/l in ICH, p = 0.029). The proportion of ICH was approximately 40%. TOD incidence in sustained hypertensives was similar to that of ICH patients.