Hypertension trial in a non Western Country: Kuwait hypertension intervention programme [KHIP]

ABSTRACT

A controlled randomized clinical trial was performed in the state of Kuwait during the period December 1983 through July 1984. It was designed and conducted to test the following hypothesis: compared to the usual care, specialized care clinics for hypertension control are more effective in reducing diastolic blood pressure [DBP]. A total of 261 participants, 30-65 years of age with baseline DBP of 95mmHg or over were recruited for this study. Testing for the major relevant confounding variables indicated that both intervention groups were comparable. Change in DBP in the specialized care group was 18.3mmHg compared to 13.7mmHg for the usual care. This difference is statistically significant [p=0.00005]. The results of this study supported the hypothesis. The results were not affected by either selection or information biases and there was a meaningful difference between the two interventions in reducing the DBP