of a significant difference in medication adherence
between the groups. Medication changes
between screening visits may have caused instability
of baseline blood pressure, but only 31
patients (5.8%) had a medication change during
this period, with no significant between-group
difference in office blood pressure at screening
visits (Table S2 in the Supplementary Appendix).
Ideally, blood pressure would have been measured
in the morning as recommended by the
American Heart Association.25 Although blood
pressure was not always measured in the morning,
it was measured at approximately the same
time at both the baseline and the 6-month follow-up
visits.