Hidden barriers: obesity bias in hypertension treatment

Individuals with obesity often face obesity bias, which may influence the delivery of appropriate medical care. Our aim is to evaluate the adequacy of therapeutic decisions regarding the pharmacological treatment for hypertension in patients with diabetes, both with and without obesity.

This is a multicentric cross-sectional study of patients with type 2 diabetes and arterial hypertension who received outpatient care in Southern Brazil. Participants were stratified into two groups according to their body mass index (BMI): lower weight (BMI < 25.0 kg/m2) and with obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2). The primary outcome evaluated was the difference in pharmacological treatment decisions for hypertension between groups, considering individualized hypertension targets from American Diabetes Association (ADA), European Society of Hypertension (ESH), and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. Data were analyzed as a binary endpoint (failure to receive treatment intensification vs. receiving treatment intensification when necessary) and groups were compared using multivariable logistic regression.

This study included 204 participants, of which 53 were at a lower weight and 151 had obesity. Patients with obesity more frequently failed to receive appropriate treatment intensification when compared to individuals with lower weight. The differences between the study groups were observed when considering the blood pressure target of three societies: ESH (adjusted OR 2.28 [95% CI 1.12–4.63], p = 0.022), ESC (adjusted OR 2.13 [95% CI 1.05–4.31], p = 0.035), and ADA (adjusted OR 2.33 [95% CI 1.13–4.77], p = 0.021).

These findings suggest that patients with obesity may face potential disparities in hypertension management, and obesity status may be related to therapeutic inertia in the management of arterial hypertension in this group.