Control of hypertension in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Background: Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor, but knowledge about the real magnitude of the problem and its determinants is lacking. Aim: To assess control of hypertension and evaluate medical resource use, in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Design: Multicentric cross-sectional study. Methods: We collected data for 2205 adult patients from 36 centres, representative of all regions of Spain. Patients had attended out-patient clinics from July 2002 to August 2003, had an absolute cardiovascular risk ⩾20% at 10 years (according to the Framingham guidelines), and had a diagnosis of hypertension. Pregnant and terminally ill patients were excluded. Results: Hype…