A Statewide Primary Care Approach to Cardiovascular Risk Factor Control in High‐Risk Diabetic and Nondiabetic Patients With Hypertension

Patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors benefit from having them all controlled, but this rarely occurs. Fifty‐seven primary care providers were enrolled in a program to monitor cardiovascular risk factor control. Data were obtained on 7315 hypertensives. This analysis focuses on 3460 high‐risk hypertensives including 2199 with diabetes and 1261 with clinical cardiovascular disease. Blood pressures were <140/90 mm Hg and <130/80 mm Hg in only 44.3% and 20.4% of diabetics and 49.6% and 26.6% nondiabetics, respectively, despite the use of an average of 2.7±1.8 anti‐hypertensive medications. Among high‐risk dyslipidemic hypertensives, the low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol level was <100 mg/dL in only 34% of diabetic and 33% of nondiabetic patients. Among 1696 diabetic hypertensives, the most recent glycosylated hemoglobin value averaged 7.5%, with 46.6% less than 7%. Among 805 diabetic, dyslipidemic hypertensives, all three risk factors were controlled to goal in only 6.6% with higher rates in whites than in African Americans (14.8% vs. 1.6%, p <0.001). An angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, or both were prescribed in 89.9% of diabetic and 70.8% of nondiabetic patients, p<0.05. Primary care providers use evidence‐based combination therapy in high‐risk hypertensive patients with and without diabetes. These findings confirm the low rates of multiple risk factor control and highlight challenges of reaching evidence‐based goals in primary care.