ArticleBMJ open2024
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care for hypertension in the UK: a population-based cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trends of new diagnosis and treatment initiation of hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2026Article
- Blood pressure trends and disparities across the COVID-19 pandemic in a large diverse urban population.Journal of human hypertension · 2026Article
- Lessons Learned From COVID-19: Never Lower the Guard in Promoting Hypertension Awareness.Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hypertension diagnosis and management in UK primary care.
designPopulation-based cohort study.
settingOver 2000 general practices across the UK contributing to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.
participantsA cohort of 23 076 390 patients over 18 years of age and registered with their general practice for at least 1 year between 2011 and 2022, who did not have a previous diagnosis of hypertension. From these patients, a subcohort of 712 461 patients diagnosed with hypertension between 2011 and 2022 was selected. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Coprimary outcomes included rates of hypertension diagnosis and rates of antihypertensive treatment initiation, treatment change and blood pressure measurement in patients newly diagnosed with hypertension.
resultsIn April 2020, the first month of lockdown, incident hypertension diagnosis rates fell by 65% (95% CI 64% to 67%) compared with historical trends and remained depressed until November 2021, leading to 51 000 fewer diagnoses than expected by March 2022. However, by March 2022, there were 2.6% fewer diagnoses than expected in Scotland, compared with 20%-30% fewer in other UK Nations. Rates of treatment initiation and change fell by 47% (95% CI 43% to 51%) and 36% (95% CI 33% to 38%), respectively, in April 2020. However, initiation rates rebounded above expectations and remained elevated until March 2022. Blood pressure measurements fell by 69% (95% CI 65% to 72%) in April 2020, recovering in February 2021.
conclusionsHypertension diagnosis and management in UK primary care were significantly disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies should investigate the potential clinical implications for the cardiovascular health of the UK population.
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