Hypertension in the Russian population during the COVID-19 pandemic: sex differences in prevalence, treatment and its effectiveness. Data from the ESSE-RF3 study

Aim. To study the epidemiological characteristics and changes of hypertension (HTN), as well as factors associated with HTN in the Russian population aged 35-74 years.Material and methods. The Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases and their Risk Factors in Regions of Russian Federation-3 (ESSE-RF3) study examined a representative sample of the population aged 35-74 years of 15 Russian regions with a response >70% (n=28611). Modular design questionnaire was used. Blood pressure (BP) was measured twice after a 5-minute rest in a sitting position on the right arm with an Omron blood pressure monitor. There were following criteria for hypertension: systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mm Hg, and/or antihypertensive therapy. The effectiveness of treatment was considered the proportion (%) of people who achieved target blood pressure values among those being treated, while the control was considered the proportion (%) of patients with a BP