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Prescribing practices and morning blood pressure control: results of a large-scale, primary-care study conducted in Germany

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 22, pages 295–297 (2008)Cite this article

Using a questionnaire, data were collected by 2934 general practitioners on 64 644 patients regularly being monitored because of hypertension ( n =55 165) or the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. In patients prescribed antihypertensives ( n =52 469), 46.9% received monotherapy, but morning blood pressure was normalized (<140/90 mm Hg) in only 23.3%. Monotherapy with angiotensin receptor blocker provided the best normalization (30.1%), and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors provided the worst (22.3%). Normalization occurred in 21.8% of patients after receiving combination therapy.

Wolf-Maier et al.1 showed that awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Germany is poorer than in other European and North American countries.1 Typically, blood pressure (BP) is highest during the day and lowest at night, with a morning surge on arousal.2 The incidence of many cardiovascular events reaches a peak during the postawakening hours, coincident with the morning surge in BP.2 Hence, control of BP is particularly important in the morning. This large-scale study evaluated the management of morning BP by German general practitioners (GPs).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Experimentelle und Klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    B Lemmer

  2. Blood Pressure Institute, Munich, Gemany

    M Middeke

  3. Gesellschaft für Statistik, wissenschaftliche Information und Kommunikation mbH, Offenbach, Germany

    B Schaaf

  4. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany

    L Eckes

Authors
  1. B Lemmer
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  2. M Middeke
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  3. B Schaaf
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Correspondence to B Lemmer.

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Lemmer, B., Middeke, M., Schaaf, B. et al. Prescribing practices and morning blood pressure control: results of a large-scale, primary-care study conducted in Germany. J Hum Hypertens 22, 295–297 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1002326

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