Bacan G, Ribeiro-Silva A, Oliveira VAS, Cardoso CRL, Salles GF. Refractory Hypertension: a Narrative Systematic Review with Emphasis on Prognosis.
Curr Hypertens Rep 2022;
24:95-106. [PMID:
35107787 DOI:
10.1007/s11906-022-01165-w]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To perform a narrative systematic review on refractory hypertension (RfHT) with particular emphasis on prognosis.
RECENT FINDINGS
There were 37 articles on RfHT, 13 non-systematic reviews, and 24 original studies. RfHT, a recently described extreme phenotype of anti-hypertensive treatment failure, shall be defined as uncontrolled out-of-office blood pressure (BP) levels despite the use of at least 5 anti-hypertensive drugs, including a long-acting diuretic and a mineraloreceptor antagonist. Its prevalence ranges from 0.5 to 4.3% of general treated hypertensives and between 3.6 and 51.4% of patients with resistant hypertension (RHT). RfHT is associated with younger age, African ancestry, obesity, hypertension-mediated organ damage and clinical cardiovascular diseases, and with some comorbidities, such as diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea. Its physiopathological mechanisms probably involve sympathetic overactivity and not volume overload. Patients with RfHT have a worse prognosis than non-refractory RHT individuals, with higher risks of adverse cardiovascular and renal outcomes and of mortality. RfHT represents a rare but true extreme phenotype of anti-hypertensive treatment failure distinct from RHT and with a significantly worse prognosis. Identifying such individuals is important to tailor specific interventions.
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