Frequency of hypertension resistant to treatment and indication for renal denervation

Objective. - To evaluate in hypertensive patients followed in a specialized hypertension unit, the prevalence of subjects uncontrolled despite triple therapy including a diuretic. The aim is to estimate the percentage of hypertensive patients with an indication to renal denervation. Method. - From a database of computerized medical records of a unit specialized in hypertension, it was extracted 144 consecutive cases of subjects treated and followed for at least 1 year and having had a home pressure monitoring (HPM) on treatment, and if necessary a work-up for a secondary hypertension. The blood pressure (BP) was evaluated in office by automated method (after 2 and 8 minutes) and with HPM (average of three measurements in the morning and evening for three consecutive days). Results. - The population has the following characteristics: age 62 with 26% over 70 years, treated dyslipidemia (39%), treated diabetes (11%), adrenal hypertension treated medically (14%), severe renal failure (3%). The means of treatment are: a monotherapy (33%), bitherapy (35%), triple therapy (17%), quadritherapy (7%), pentatherapy or more (1%), spironolactone (45%), thiazide diuretics (49%). The uncontrolled hypertension was observed in 26% if the BP is evaluated with HPM, in 52% if the BP is evaluated at the office after 2 minutes of rest and 7% if the BP is evaluated after 8 minutes of rest (P <0.01). In patients treated with at least a tritherapy in association with a diuretic, an uncontrolled hypertension was observed in 5% if the BP is evaluated with HPM. Failure to control for the SBP is the cause of 80% of resistant hypertension. Conclusion. - The frequency of resistant hypertension is 5% of hypertensive patients followed in a specialized hypertension unit when guidelines are applied in the case of uncontrolled hypertension. These results indicate that the indication for renal denervation affects only a small percentage of patients treated for hypertension. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.