[Arterial hypertension in obese patients. Rationale for a prospective medical care study in the family doctor's practice]

Institut für Klinische Pharmakologie, Medizinische Fakultät, TU Dresden, und Sanofi- Synthelabo, Berlin. peter.bramlage@mailbox.tu-dresden.de

Patients with high blood pressure are often overweight or even obese. Conversely, some 43% of overweight and obese patients suffer from hypertension. Diabetes (16.7%), coronary heart disease (15.0%) and nephropathy (7.8%) are common additional findings. The cardiac risk in these patients is thus appreciably elevated. Currently, a prospective medical care study "Best practice with irbesartan in overweight and obese patients" (BIG) - is being conducted throughout Germany. In this study obese hypertensive patients of general practitioners are receiving the AT1 blocker irbesartan, as monotherapy or in fixed combination with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide over a period of 3 months. Obese patients and nonobese patients are compared with regard to the following variables: drug utilization, blood pressure decrease, responder rates, normalization rates, decrease in the number of patients with (micro)albuminurea, changes in patient risk profile (e.g. after SCORE), and tolerability. The study is expected to provide new information on the efficacy, tolerability and safety of irbesartan in regard to pressure reduction and its protective effect on the kidneys and heart in overweight patients.

PMID: 16739358 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]