[Management of resistant hypertension. Expert consensus statement from the French Society of Hypertension, an affiliate of the French Society of Cardiology]. / Prise en charge de l'hypertension artérielle résistante. Consensus d'experts de la Société française d'hypertension artérielle, filiale de la Société française de cardiologie.

To improve the management of resistant hypertension, the French Society of Hypertension, an affiliate of the French Society of Cardiology, has published a set of eleven recommendations. The primary objective is to provide the most up-to-date information, based on the strongest scientific rationale and which is easily applicable to daily clinical practice for health professionals working within the French health system. Resistant hypertension is defined as uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) both on office measurements and confirmed by out-of-office measurements despite a therapeutic strategy comprising appropriate lifestyle and dietary measures and the concurrent use of three antihypertensive agents including a thiazide diuretic, a renin-angiotensin system blocker (ARB or ACEI) and a calcium channel blocker, for at least four weeks, at optimal doses. Treatment compliance must be closely monitored, as most factors that are likely to affect treatment resistance (excessive dietary salt intake, alcohol, depression and drug interactions, or vasopressors). If the diagnosis of resistant hypertension is confirmed, the patient should be referred to a hypertension specialist to screen for potential target organ damage and secondary causes of hypertension. The recommended treatment regimen is a combination therapy comprising four treatment classes, including spironolactone (12.5 to 25mg/day). In the event of a contraindication or a non-response to spironolactone, or if adverse effects occur, a ß-blocker, an α-blocker, or a centrally acting antihypertensive drug should be prescribed. Because renal denervation is still undergoing assessment for the treatment of hypertension, this technique should only be prescribed by a specialist hypertension clinic.

Impact of miscuffing during home blood pressure measurement on the prevalence of masked hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Masked hypertension has been associated with obesity. However, because most studies do not mention the specific cuff size used for home measurements, masked hypertension prevalence may have been overestimated in obese patients because of undersized cuffs. In this prospective, observational study, the effect of miscuffing on hypertension status was evaluated in patients with large arms. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with an upper-arm circumference >33cm, undergoing treatment for mild-to-moderate hypertension, took 2 sets of home blood pressure (BP) measurements (standard vs. large cuff) using the validated Microlife BP A100 Plus automated device. RESULTS: Mean BP was 143/85mm Hg at the office using a large cuff, 141/84mm Hg at home using a standard cuff, and 134/80mm Hg at home using a large cuff. Standard vs. large cuff home BP mean differences were 6.9mm Hg (95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.7-9.2; P < 0.0001) for systolic BP and 4.0mm Hg (95% CI = 2.4-5.5; P < 0.0001) for diastolic BP. Hypertension status differed significantly between standard vs. large cuffs: sustained hypertension (56.6% vs. 41.5%, respectively; P = 0.002), controlled hypertension (20.8% vs. 28.3%, respectively; P = 0.04), white coat hypertension (7.5% vs. 22.6%, respectively; P = 0.002), masked hypertension (15.1% vs. 7.5%, respectively; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with large arms, use of an appropriately sized large cuff for home BP measurements led to a 2-fold reduction in masked hypertension. Regarding clinical and epidemiological implications, future studies investigating masked hypertension should specify cuff size for home BP measurements. The low market availability and increased cost of large cuffs should also be addressed.

[Resistant hypertension: evaluation and treatment]. / Hypertension artérielle résistante : stratification de la prise en charge.

Treatment resistant hypertension is defined as a blood pressure not achieving a goal blood pressure (< 140/90 mm Hg). The diagnosis of resistant hypertension requires use of good blood pressure technique to confirm persistently elevated blood pressure levels. Pseudoresistance, including lack of blood pressure control secondary to poor medication adherence or white coat hypertension, must be excluded. The evaluation of patients with resistant hypertension is focused on identifying contributing and secondary causes of hypertension which are guided by the clinical feature of hypertension: metabolic (obstructive sleep apnea, kidney disease), vascular (renal artery atheroma stenosis), endocrine (hyperaldosteronism), familial (renal artery fibrodyspalsia, adrenal causes). Treatment includes removal of contributing factors, appropriate management of secondary causes, and use of effective multidrug regimens. Three antihypertensive medications including ARB or ACEI in addition to calcium channel blocker and to thiazide diuretics is able to control 75% of hypertensive subjects when prescribed in effective doses. The addition of low dose spironolactone to this triple treatment induces significant BP reduction in most patients with resistant hypertension.