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Combined antihypertensive treatment is better than mono-therapy in hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND
Hypertension (HT) is a chronic condition associated with serious complications. In the present cross-sectional study, we aimed to analyse factors that contribute to blood pressure control in subjects with HT.


METHODS
Subjects with HT admitted to outpatient internal medicine clinics of the institution were enrolled in the study. According to the Joint National Committee (JNC) VIII criteria, subjects with a mean blood pressure above target levels were defined as poorly-controlled hypertensive patients and others were grouped as well-controlled hypertensive patients. Clinical and laboratory parameters were compared between study groups.


RESULTS
Smokers were more prevalent in the poorly-controlled HT group compared to the well-controlled HT group (p = 0.001). The number of patients who adhered to dietary and exercise recommendations were greater in well-controlled HT group than poorly-controlled HT group (p < 0.001 for both). The rate of combined therapy was greater in well-controlled HT group compared to poorly-controlled HT group (p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that, in addition to dietary and exercise recommendations and smoking cessation, treatment with combination therapy could be better in reaching blood pressure targets in patients with HT.