Effects of the Israel doctors' strike on hypertension control in Ashdod.

We examined hypertension control during the Israel doctors' strike in a defined insured population of known hypertensives enrolled in a nurse-based hypertension control program. The strike was associated with a measurable increase in the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension which was limited to males of relatively higher social class. No strike-related changes in hypertension control were seen for women or lower social class males. We infer from this finding that the presence of a physician is a necessary component of good hypertension control in the sub-group of males of higher socioeconomic status. The incidence of hypertension-related complications in this relatively non-compliant subpopulation needs further investigation.