Apparent resistant hypertension and the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events and mortality after a first manifestation of vascular disease

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown that patients with resistant hypertension carry a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than patients with non-resistant hypertension. However, little is known about the prognosis of apparent resistant hypertension in patients with symptomatic vascular disease. Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the relation between different stages of hypertension and the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events and mortality in a cohort of hypertensive patients with symptomatic vascular disease. Methods Hypertensive patients (n=7280) with symptomatic vascular disease (cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease, peripheral artery disease or abdominal aortic aneurysm) were included from the ongoing SMART cohort between 1996 and 2018. Patients were classified into three groups according to baseline office blood pressure (BP): controlled (BP