Prevalence, predictors, and outcomes in treatment-resistant hypertension in patients with coronary disease.

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, apparent treatment-resistant hypertension has been recognized. However, much of the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes are largely unknown, especially in patients with coronary artery disease.

METHODS

We evaluated 10,001 patients with coronary artery disease who were enrolled in the Treating to New Targets trial. Apparent treatment-resistant hypertension was defined as blood pressure ≥ 140 mm Hg despite 3 antihypertensive agents or <140 mm Hg with ≥ 4 antihypertensive agents. The primary outcome was major cardiovascular events (composite of fatal coronary heart disease, nonfatal myocardial infarction, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and stroke).

RESULTS

Among the 10,001 patients in the trial, 1112 (11.1%) had apparent treatment-resistant hypertension. In a multivariable model adjusting for baseline differences, the treatment-resistant hypertension group had a 64% increase in primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-1.94; P < .001), driven by a 69% increase in coronary heart disease death (HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.22, 2.34; P = .001) and 73% increase in nonfatal myocardial infarction (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.39-2.16, P < .0001) when compared with the no apparent treatment-resistant hypertension group. In addition, patients with apparent treatment-resistant hypertension had a 71% increase in major coronary event (P < .0001), 45% increase in death (P = .001), 33% increase in heart failure (P = .05), 53% increase in any cardiovascular event (P < .0001), 60% increase in any coronary event (P < .0001), 68% increase in angina (P < .0001), and 51% increase in coronary revascularization (P < .0001) when compared with the no apparent treatment-resistant hypertension group. Results were largely similar whether the definition of apparent treatment-resistant hypertension was based on a blood pressure ≥ 140 mm Hg despite 3 agents or a blood pressure <140 mm Hg with ≥ 4 agents.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with coronary artery disease, apparent treatment-resistant hypertension is associated with a marked increase in the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including an increase in all-cause death.