Patient Awareness and Clinical Inertia: Obstacles to Hypertension Control in Rural Communities in the Dominican Republic.

BACKGROUND: Many obstacles exist for adequate hypertension control, including low individual awareness and clinical inertia (CI). In this study, we aimed to determine hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control among community residents of rural areas of Peravia in Dominican Republic (DR), followed by an assessment of CI in their primary care clinics (PCCs). METHODS: We interviewed 827 adults from 8 rural communities of Peravia. Demographics, medical history, health care information, and blood pressure (BP) were obtained. We reviewed the community PCC visits of patients with known hypertension or a BP ≥140/90, abstracting medical history and the physician's action toward uncontrolled BP. RESULTS: Of those interviewed, 57% (95% CI: 53%-60%) had hypertension, with 63% (95% CI: 59%-68%) of those aware of their diagnosis. Among individuals with hypertension, 60% (95% CI: 56%-65%) were receiving pharmacological treatment, and only 35% (95% CI: 31%-40%) were controlled. Characteristics associated with awareness were female sex, age >55 years, diabetes, private insurance, and having at least 1 health care visit within the past year. Of the 507 PCC patients reviewed, 340 (67%) had uncontrolled BP. Of these, 220 had no clinical action to address the uncontrolled BP, corresponding to a CI rate of 65%. CONCLUSIONS: Among rural communities in the DR, undiagnosed hypertension remains common, especially in individuals who are younger, uninsured, or with limited access to health care. For those seen in PCCs, therapeutic intensification to achieve controlled BP is infrequently done. Strategies to address population awareness and CI are needed to improve hypertension control.

A Mid-Ventricular Variant of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: A Case Study and Review of Literature.

Different variants of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) have been described recently. In the present case, we report a post-menopausal woman who had been experiencing significant emotional distress, admitted with typical chest pain, electrocardiographic changes, and elevated troponin levels. She underwent left heart catheterization that demonstrated mild non-obstructive coronary disease and mid-ventricular focal wall motion abnormality, consistent with the mid-ventricular variant of TC. One month after her discharge, a repeated echocardiogram showed preserved ejection fraction and no wall motion abnormalities. In the mid-ventricular variant, we usually observe a unique end-systolic appearance that resembles a Greek vase. It is possible that atypical patterns of left ventricle (LV) dysfunction related to TC are being underrecognized. Therefore, this case study highlights the importance of recognizing less frequent variants of TC.