Prevalence, clinical profile, and treatment patterns of uncontrolled and apparent resistant hypertension in the United Arab Emirates: insights from the ICaReMe Registry

Background: Contemporary real-world data on uncontrolled and apparent resistant hypertension in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are limited. Methods: This analysis used UAE data from the prospective ICaReMe Registry. Adults with record-confirmed hypertension and available seated baseline blood pressure measurements from five UAE centres were included. Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥130 mmHg whilst receiving ≥2 antihypertensive drug classes. Apparent resistant hypertension was defined as SBP ≥130 mmHg despite receiving ≥3 classes, or treatment with ≥4 classes, regardless of SBP. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, echocardiographic and treatment data were analysed descriptively. Results: A total of 421 patients were included, with a mean age of 59.4 years; 29.0% were women. Amongst patients with available data, 40.1% had obesity, 89.1% had dyslipidaemia, 28.6% had type 2 diabetes, 6.7% had chronic kidney disease and 4.9% had heart failure. Overall, 49.9% met criteria for uncontrolled hypertension and 27.1% met criteria for apparent resistant hypertension. The mean LVEF was higher in patients with SBP ≥130 mmHg (55.1% versus 49.7%; p<0.001). Left atrial enlargement and diastolic dysfunction were slightly more frequent (p=0.018 and p<0.001, respectively). Treatment intensity was higher in uncontrolled hypertension: 100% were receiving ≥2 antihypertensive classes and 49.5% were receiving ≥3 classes. Conclusions: In routine practice in the UAE, uncontrolled and apparent resistant hypertension are common despite frequent multidrug treatment. These findings indicate a substantial gap between antihypertensive prescribing and effective blood pressure control and support stronger pathways for treatment optimization, adherence assessment and evaluation of apparent resistance. Download the Plain Language Summary of this article: https://www.drugsincontext.com/plain-language-summaries/plain-language-summary-prevalence-clinical-profile-and-treatment-patterns-of-uncontrolled-and-apparent-resistant-hypertension-in-the-united-arab-emirates-insights-from-the-icareme-registry