Anita Rathod1, Olivier Bonny MD-PhD2,3, Idris Guessous MD-PhD1,4, Paolo M. Suter

MD5, David Conen MD,MPH6, Paul Erne MD7, Isabelle Binet MD8, Luca Gabutti MD9,

Augusto Gallino MD10, Franco Muggli MD11, Daniel Hayoz MD12, Antoinette Péchère-

Bertschi MD13, Fred Paccaud MD, MSc1, Michel Burnier MD2*, Murielle Bochud MD-

PhD1*

* Joint last authorship

1. Community Prevention Unit, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne

University Hospital, Route de la Corniche 10, 1010 Lausanne, Switzerland.

2. Service of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Lausanne

University Hospital, Rue du Bugnon 17, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland.

3. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Lausanne, Rue du

Bugnon 27, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland.

4. Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Department of Community Medicine, Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, Geneva University

Hospitals, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.

5. Clinic and Policlinic of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, 8091

Zurich, Switzerland.

6. Department of Medicine, University Hospital, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.

7. Hypertension Center, Clinic St Anna, 6006 Luzern, Switzerland.

8. Nephrology/Transplantation Medicine, Kantonsspital, 9007 St Gallen, Switzerland.

9. Division of Nephrology, Ospedale Carità, Via Ospedale, 6600 Locarno,

Switzerland.

10. Division of Cardiology, Ospedale San Giovanni, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland

11. Internal Medicine Specialist - Outpatient’s Office, 6943 Vezia, Switzerland. 12. Department of Internal Medicine and Angiology, Hôpital Cantonal Fribourg, 1708

Fribourg, Switzerland.

13. Unit of Hypertension, Departments of Specialties of Medicine and Community

Medicine and Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals,

1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Corresponding authors:

Prof Murielle Bochud, MD, PhD

Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine

Lausanne University Hospital, Route de la Corniche 10,

CH-1010 Lausanne, Switzerland

Telephone number: 0041 21 314 08 99

Fax number: 0041 21 314 73 73 e-mail: [email protected]

Prof Michel Burnier, MD

Service of Nephrology and Hypertension

Lausanne University Hospital, Rue du Bugnon 17,

CH-1005 Lausanne, Switzerland

Telephone number: 0041 21 314 11 29

Fax number: 0041 21 314 11 39 e-mail: [email protected]