Effect of cardiometabolic risk factors on hypertension management: a cross-sectional study among 28 physician practices in the United States

Abstract

Abstract Objective This cross-sectional study sought to determine the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factor clusters (CMRFCs) and their effect on BP control among hypertensive patients from 28 US physician practices. Methods Each participating practice identified a random sample of 150-300 adults aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with hypertension. The primary outcome variable was BP control (BP Results Overall, 6,527 hypertensive patients were identified for study inclusion. More than half (54.3%) were female, and mean age was 64.7 years. Almost half (48.7%) were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). About 1 in every 4 patients (25.3%) had diabetes, and 60.7% had dyslipidemia. Mean blood pressure was 132.5/77.9 mmHg, and 55.0% of all patients had controlled BP; 62.4% of non-diabetic patients, and 33.3% of diabetic hypertensive patients, had BP controlled to recommended levels. Most (81.7%) hypertensive patients had ≥ 1 cardiometabolic risk factor, and 12.2% had all 3 risk factors. As compared to hypertensive patients without additional risk factors, adjusted odds ratios for BP control were significantly lower for all combinations of CMRFCs (ORs 0.15-0.83, all p Conclusions Across 28 US practices, only 18% of hypertensive patients did not have any additional cardiometabolic risk factors. The high prevalence of CMRFCs presents a challenge to effective hypertension management.