Peer Reviewed
Feature Article Cardiovascular medicine
Optimising the management of hypertension
Abstract
Recommendations for managing patients with raised blood pressure are becoming more logical, with a move towards using absolute risk for cardiovascular events (rather than an isolated risk factor such as blood pressure) as the basis for decision making.
Key Points
- Data from the BEACH study of Australian general practice activity show that cardiovascular problems account for 20.5 per 100 encounters, with hypertension contributing to 46% of these.
- Recommendations for managing patients with hypertension are changing, with a move towards using absolute risk for cardiovascular events (rather than an isolated risk factor such as blood pressure) as the basis for decision making.
- There is increasing evidence for the value of ambulatory or home blood pressure monitoring in the diagnosis and management of high blood pressure.
- The current major issue in hypertension management relates to the ‘lost therapeutic benefit’ associated with lack of adequate attainment of blood pressure levels that have been linked to optimal reduction in cardiovascular risk.
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