It was found that of the 10.5 million Filipinos with hypertension, 25 percent were not aware of their condition in the nationwide survey Presyon 2 conducted by the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) in 2007. As far as treatment was concerned, only 13 percent were controlled.

Given this backdrop, PHA president Dr. Efren Vicaldo announced, during a media briefing held recently at the Heart House, PHA’s decision to conduct a survey dubbed as the Physician-Related Factors Determining Optimal Blood Pressure Control Among Hypertensive Filipinos.

According to the PHA Council on Hypertension chair, Dr. Emma G.Trinidad, the goal of the study is to identify and evaluate the significant physician-related factors determining blood pressure control among Filipino high blood pressure sufferers in Metro Manila.

In her presentation, Gaps in the Management of Hypertension in the Philippines, Dr. Trinidad pointed out that the burden of cardiovascular diseases as well as prevalence of risk factors for coronary artery disease in the Philippines is rising. From 1990 to 1997, diseases of the heart and of the vascular system remained to be the first and second leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the country. Hypertension in particular, has an increasing prevalence of 11 percent in 1992 to 22 percent in 1998, and since then has more or less stabilized at 21 percent in 2007.

She also showed that based on the survey, the prevalence of hypertension was 21 percent (717 cases of hypertension found in the 3,415 individuals screened). Analyses of the 717 hypertensive subjects showed that only 469 of them were on anti-hypertensive medications with 65 percent compliant with medication. However, it was also found that the blood pressure control rate was only 20 percent among those on medications, or a very low control rate of only 13 percent of the entire hypertensive population.

PHA director Dr. Eugene Reyes explains that the pilot study, which PHA is set to embark in partnership with Novartis Healthcare Philippines, aims specifically to: describe the health care practices of doctors; determine the significant health practices of doctors that could affect blood pressure control; compare the significant health care practices of doctors both in those with controlled and uncontrolled BP groups; and determine whether the doctor’s approach to blood pressure control is in accordance with the international guidelines stipulated by the Joint National Committed VII and the WHO and local guidelines for management of hypertension.

Novartis is committed to helping support PHA with its antihypertensive drug valsartan. "We hope that this PHA-initiated study will become an important source of much- needed local data ," said Dr. Francis Domingo, Novartis Healthcare Philippines chief scientific officer.

"This partnership is a step in the right direction towards improving hypertension management in the country, "said Novartis Healthcare Philippines president and CEO
Peter Goldschmidt.