The Results of GCP-Intervention for Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia in the High-Risk-Groups

Within the scope of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study (GCP) consecutive waves of intervention for the control of hypertension (>=160/95 mmHg) and hypercholesterolemia (>=250 mg/dl) - essentially health education, screening campaigns and referrals to general practitioners - have been carried out between 1985 and 1991. Compared to representative reference samples (of the total population of former West-Germany) at the beginning and at the end of the intervention period, in the agegroup 30 - 69 the prevalence of hypertension in the intervention regions dereases from 19.9 % to 16.2 %. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia declines from 36.5 % to 34.5 %. Hence, compared to the nationwide trend, there is a net reduction of 4.0, resp. 4.4 percentage points. This success is mainly based on the improvement of important parameters of medical care i. e. awareness, degree of treatment and degree of control of hypertension (hypercholesterolemia); to an obviously smaller extent on the reduction of the actual prevalence including successfully treated persons. Though the GCP-intervention was able to modify national trends, it was not structurally orientated enough to change the general direction of secular developments.