Arterial hypertension as a public health issue in Slovenia.

Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. An epidemiological survey in 1985 found that the prevalence of hypertension in Slovenia was comparable to rates reported from western European countries. Awareness of hypertension was poor and only a small fraction of patients had their blood pressure under satisfactory control. Since 1985, few population studies have been completed; the results suggest that little progress has been made in the field of hypertension control. The responsibility for the situation lies partly with family physicians, who often fail to react properly to uncontrolled blood pressure. Data from the last CINDI survey conducted in 2004 are more encouraging. Apparently, physicians now provide their patients with more information on how to attain their target blood pressure, and the percentage of hypertensive patients with controlled blood pressure seems to have increased. However, these are only assumptions, which should be verified by a nationwide epidemiological study. A pilot survey involving a random sample of the Slovenian adult population (about 11,000 subjects) is in progress and will be completed by the end of the year 2005.