Real-world long-term effects on blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors for patients in digital therapeutics

Abstract

Purpose Hypertension is a leading causeof premature death worldwide and a major public health problem. This study investigated the long-term effects (>1 year) of digital hypertension monitoring by home blood pressure (HBP) measurements in combination with individualized remote treatment via a Swedish Digital Therapeutics platform in a large patient population. Methods The primary endpoint, HBP, and exploratory endpoints, BMI, alcohol consumption, stress level, physical activity, and smoking, were assessed every 3 months for 540 and 360 days, respectively, in 7752 Swedish primary hypertension patients. Patients received individualized medical treatments and lifestyle advice via asynchronous text-based communication in an app. Changes from baseline in endpoints were calculated for the whole population and for subgroups defined by baseline SBP ≥135 (high SBP), 125–135 (suboptimal SBP), 115–125 (optimal SBP), and <115 mmHg (low SBP). Results After 360 days of treatment, the whole population showed a significant increase of 57% (from 37 to 58%) in the proportion of patients with controlled SBP (i.e. SBP of 115–135 mmHg). The largest reduction in SBP of 13.8 mmHg was observed for the high SBP subgroup, whereas for the low SBP subgroup, SBP increased by 13.4 mmHg. BP improved most in the first three months, and for both the high and low BP subgroups, the improvement continued during the 540-day study period. Significant beneficial changes were also observed for some exploratory endpoints including BMI and smoking. Conclusions In conclusion, the digital therapeutics platform was associated with significant improvement in BP control and associated risk factors, which were maintained over a longer period.