New blood pressure guideline creates a new level of disease affecting people previously deemed healthy

FromNEJM:The guideline defines normal blood pressure as below 120/80 mm Hg and elevated blood pressure as 120 to 129. What is now called stage 1 hypertension was previously labeled “prehypertension” — a term meant to alert patients and to prompt physicians to provide lifestyle educationBy reclassifying people formerly considered to have prehypertension as having hypertension, the guideline creates a new level of disease affecting people previously deemed healthy. According to this definition, about 46% of U.S. adults have hypertension, as compared with about 32% under the previous definition.The guideline recommends daily sodium intake of less than 1500 mg — a goal that’s difficult for many people to achieve and that was derived from short-term studies.The primary change in recommendations regarding pharmacologic therapy is the elimination of beta-blockers from first-line therapy for patients with primary hypertension.Read more here:Redefining Hypertension — Assessing the New Blood-Pressure Guidelines | NEJMhttp://bit.ly/2nVBJgJ Posted atClinical Cases and Images. Stay updated andsubscribe, follow us onTwitter and connect onFacebook.
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs