Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE Study

Background Hypertension is the principal risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and blood pressure control is reliant on consistent adherence to antihypertensive treatment. This study examined the association between antihypertensive treatment discontinuation and ICH occurrence in Japanese...

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Main Authors: Kazuya Honda, Kenichi Goto, Megumi Maeda, Fumiko Murata, Haruhisa Fukuda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease
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Online Access:https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.042523
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author Kazuya Honda
Kenichi Goto
Megumi Maeda
Fumiko Murata
Haruhisa Fukuda
author_facet Kazuya Honda
Kenichi Goto
Megumi Maeda
Fumiko Murata
Haruhisa Fukuda
author_sort Kazuya Honda
collection DOAJ
description Background Hypertension is the principal risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and blood pressure control is reliant on consistent adherence to antihypertensive treatment. This study examined the association between antihypertensive treatment discontinuation and ICH occurrence in Japanese patients with hypertension. Methods This nested case–control study was conducted using claims data from the LIFE (Longevity Improvement & Fair Evidence) study from residents of 4 Japanese municipalities enrolled in public medical insurance or public assistance programs. The participants comprised people with hypertension between April and October 2017 and were followed up from November 2017 to March 2022 to identify ICH occurrence. Cases with ICH were matched with controls without ICH in a 1:10 ratio based on sex and age. Participants without any claims data for hypertension care for ≥4 months were regarded as discontinuing antihypertensive treatment. Conditional logistic regression was performed to examine the association between treatment discontinuation and ICH occurrence. Covariates included atrial fibrillation and flutter, diabetes, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, antithrombotic, and statin use. Results Of 62 674 patients with hypertension, 5699 (9.1%) developed ICH during follow‐up. Participants who discontinued antihypertensive treatment had significantly higher odds for developing ICH (odds ratio, 3.77 [95% confidence interval, 3.43–4.14]; P<0.001) than treatment‐adherent participants. In addition, the male sex and younger age (<40 years) were significant risk factors for antihypertensive treatment discontinuation. Cases with ICH had significantly higher medical expenditure than controls without ICH. Conclusions Antihypertensive treatment discontinuation significantly increased the risk of developing ICH in Japanese patients with hypertension. Regular medical visits and treatment adherence may help to prevent ICH development in these patients, thus reducing their clinical and economic burden.
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spelling doaj-art-ac90f7e43d4f4188be66e9a2ecb99dd52025-08-20T07:25:14ZengWileyJournal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease2047-99802025-08-01141610.1161/JAHA.125.042523Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE StudyKazuya Honda0Kenichi Goto1Megumi Maeda2Fumiko Murata3Haruhisa Fukuda4Department of Health Sciences Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences Fukuoka JapanDepartment of Health Sciences Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences Fukuoka JapanDepartment of Healthcare Administration and Management Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences Fukuoka JapanDepartment of Healthcare Administration and Management Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences Fukuoka JapanDepartment of Healthcare Administration and Management Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences Fukuoka JapanBackground Hypertension is the principal risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and blood pressure control is reliant on consistent adherence to antihypertensive treatment. This study examined the association between antihypertensive treatment discontinuation and ICH occurrence in Japanese patients with hypertension. Methods This nested case–control study was conducted using claims data from the LIFE (Longevity Improvement & Fair Evidence) study from residents of 4 Japanese municipalities enrolled in public medical insurance or public assistance programs. The participants comprised people with hypertension between April and October 2017 and were followed up from November 2017 to March 2022 to identify ICH occurrence. Cases with ICH were matched with controls without ICH in a 1:10 ratio based on sex and age. Participants without any claims data for hypertension care for ≥4 months were regarded as discontinuing antihypertensive treatment. Conditional logistic regression was performed to examine the association between treatment discontinuation and ICH occurrence. Covariates included atrial fibrillation and flutter, diabetes, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, antithrombotic, and statin use. Results Of 62 674 patients with hypertension, 5699 (9.1%) developed ICH during follow‐up. Participants who discontinued antihypertensive treatment had significantly higher odds for developing ICH (odds ratio, 3.77 [95% confidence interval, 3.43–4.14]; P<0.001) than treatment‐adherent participants. In addition, the male sex and younger age (<40 years) were significant risk factors for antihypertensive treatment discontinuation. Cases with ICH had significantly higher medical expenditure than controls without ICH. Conclusions Antihypertensive treatment discontinuation significantly increased the risk of developing ICH in Japanese patients with hypertension. Regular medical visits and treatment adherence may help to prevent ICH development in these patients, thus reducing their clinical and economic burden.https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.042523antihypertensive agentshypertensionintracerebral hemorrhageJapannested case–control studyrisk factors
spellingShingle Kazuya Honda
Kenichi Goto
Megumi Maeda
Fumiko Murata
Haruhisa Fukuda
Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE Study
Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease
antihypertensive agents
hypertension
intracerebral hemorrhage
Japan
nested case–control study
risk factors
title Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE Study
title_full Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE Study
title_fullStr Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE Study
title_full_unstemmed Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE Study
title_short Association Between Antihypertensive Treatment Discontinuation and the Development of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Japanese Patients With Hypertension: The LIFE Study
title_sort association between antihypertensive treatment discontinuation and the development of intracerebral hemorrhage in japanese patients with hypertension the life study
topic antihypertensive agents
hypertension
intracerebral hemorrhage
Japan
nested case–control study
risk factors
url https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.042523
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