Figure 2

a. Evolution of blood pressure during observation period (~4 months): Efficacy Sample. Baseline SBP (systolic blood pressure): previously untreated patients 168.8 mmHg, pre-treated 163.5 mmHg (*p < 0.0001); SBP at last visit: previously untreated 142.8 mmHg, pre-treated 146.9 mmHg (p < 0.0001). Baseline DBP (diastolic blood pressure): previously untreated patients 101.2 mmHg, pre-treated 96.3 mmHg (*p < 0.0001); DBP at last visit: previously untreated 85.9 mmHg, pre-treated 86.8 mmHg (p = 0.004). b. Reaching of therapeutic targets: Efficacy Sample. Response to treatment is defined as reaching DBP < 90 mmHg or a reduction of DBP = 10 mmHg. In real-life practice, a satisfactory objective is also the normalization of DBP (< 90 mmHg). Target = 140/90 mmHg was introduced because of digit preference of study GPs (see results).