new research on blood pressure

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Guideline-Driven Management of Hypertension: An Evidence-Based Update

Associated data.

Several important findings bearing on the prevention, detection and management of hypertension have been reported since publication of the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) Blood Pressure (BP) Guideline. This review summarizes and places in context the results of relevant observational studies, randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses published between January, 2018 and March, 2021. Topics covered include BP measurement, patient evaluation for secondary hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and BP threshold for drug therapy, lifestyle and pharmacologic management, treatment target BP goal, management of hypertension in older adults, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, resistant hypertension, and optimization of care using patient, provider and health system approaches. Presenting new information in each of these areas has the potential to increase hypertension awareness, treatment and control which remain essential for the prevention of CVD and mortality in the future.

Introduction

Globally, high blood pressure (BP) is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. 1 In the United States, high BP ranks first among modifiable risk factors in population attributable CVD risk, accounting for the largest proportion of coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF) and stroke events. 2 In adults with hypertension, control of BP with antihypertensive medication reduces the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. 3 , 4 Thus, hypertension is one of the most consequential and remediable threats to the health of individuals and society.

While BP lowering interventions can be used to prevent CVD events and mortality, this can only be achieved by preventing high BP and recognizing, treating and controlling hypertension. 5 The first step in managing hypertension is accurate diagnosis. Once hypertension has been confirmed, lifestyle modification and pharmacological treatment can be initiated to reduce BP and CVD risk. Titration of nonpharmacological and medication interventions to maximum tolerable effectiveness and long-term persistence with the treatment regimen are essential for optimal BP control and CVD risk reduction.

In the United States, progress in the quest to reduce population BP over the past several decades has been quantified as trends in hypertension awareness, treatment and control to an SBP/DBP <140/90 mm Hg. In an analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, hypertension (SBP ≥140 mm Hg, DBP ≥90 mm Hg, or taking antihypertensive medication) awareness and treatment increased significantly in all age groups between 1999-2004 and 2011-2016 (approximately 85 and 79%, respectively, for adults ≥65 years in 2011-2016). However, the improvements primarily occurred between 1999-2004 and 2005-2010. 6 Hypertension awareness and treatment rates in 2011-2016 were relatively high, providing limited opportunity for improvement. In contrast, NHANES analyses identify markedly suboptimal rates of BP control. 6 , 7 Among all adults with hypertension, the proportion with BP controlled to a systolic BP (SBP)/diastolic BP (DBP) <140/90 mm Hg increased from 31.8% in 1999-2000 to 48.5% in 2007-08, peaked at 53.8% in 2013-14, and then declined to 43.7% in 2017-18. 7 Among adults taking antihypertensive medication, the prevalence of SBP/DBP control to <140/90 mm Hg increased from 53.4% in 1999-2000 to 68.3 % in 2007-08, peaked at 72.2% in 2013-2014, and then declined to 64.8% in 2017-18, such that control rates in 2017-18 were similar to those in 2005-6. 7 From a public health perspective, the substantial reduction in BP control from 2013-14 to 2017-18 is alarming.

In December 2013, the panel members appointed to the eighth Joint National Committee (JNC-8) published a report recommending a higher BP goal (SBP/DBP <150/90 mm Hg) for adults ≥ 60 years compared with the 2003 JNC-7 recommended target (SBP/DBP <140/90 mm Hg). 8 , 9 A minority report from five of the 17 JNC-8 panel members warned that relaxation of the BP goal would reduce the intensity of antihypertensive drug therapy and level of BP control. 10 In March 2017, a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) also recommended initiation of antihypertensive treatment in adults ≥60 years with an SBP persistently ≥150 mm Hg to achieve an SBP <150 mm Hg, with the possibility of a lower initiation and target SBP of 140 mm Hg in those with a history of stroke, a transient ischemic attack, or other evidence of high CVD risk. 11 It is conceivable that the JNC-8 panel members and ACP/AAFP guideline reports may be responsible for the diminution in hypertension control. In November 2017, the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) in partnership with nine other professional societies published a BP guideline that redefined hypertension as a persistent average SBP ≥130 mm Hg or DBP ≥80 mm Hg (SBP ≥ 130 mm Hg for those ≥ 65 years of age), lowered the drug treatment threshold to an average SBP ≥ 130 mm Hg or DBP ≥80 mm Hg for adults with a 10-year atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk ≥10% and reduced the SBP/DBP goal of therapy to <130/80 mm Hg (SBP<130 mm Hg for those ≥ 65 years). 12 These changes were prompted by data showing an approximately 2-fold increase in CVD events and mortality in adults with BP 130-139/80-89 mm Hg compared to those with normal BP (<120/80 mm Hg), attributable risk estimates that this category of BP accounts for more than 20% of the BP-related CVD events, the results of multiple randomized clinical trials [including the PREVER-Prevention Trial and the Systolic BP Intervention Trial (SPRINT)] and meta-analyses of trials showing reduced CVD events and death with goal BP <130/80 mm Hg. 12 While the ACP and AAFP 11 failed to endorse the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline recommendations for a lower BP goal, the Guideline has been embraced by most professional societies with an interest in BP and by US governmental agencies, including the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) that oversees the NHANES. Adoption of the ACC/AHA recommendations has the potential to increase hypertension awareness, treatment and control, both by increasing the proportion of adults taking antihypertensive medication and by treatment intensification for those with BP levels above target.

A substantial worldwide decline in population BP has occurred since the initiation of hypertension prevention, detection, treatment and control programs in the 1960s and 70s. 13 These BP reductions have been noted in high risk, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, including in the Southeastern region of the United States, where population SBP levels declined by as much as 18 mm Hg over a 40 year period. 14 This seems to have resulted from a downward shift in average BP across the entire distribution of BP, suggesting an effect of lifestyle changes in addition to pharmacologic antihypertensive treatment.

This review focuses on the prevention, detection and management of hypertension with emphasis on new information since the publication of the 2017 ACC/AHA BP Guideline 12 .

BP Measurement and the Diagnosis of Hypertension

The ability to measure BP accurately remains a major challenge for providers managing patients with hypertension. Office BP measurements for clinical care are meant to be similar to those utilized in the observational cohort studies that have documented risk at a given BP level and the antihypertensive clinical outcome trials that have documented the benefit of BP lowering. 12 , 15 However, the time required for staff training and the need for efficiencies in provider workflow patterns continue to compromise the validity of office BP measurements used for diagnosing hypertension and assessing success in achieving hypertension treatment targets. 15 , 16

The 2017 ACC/AHA BP Guideline supports use of oscillometric devices to obtain automated office BP (AOBP) measurements and recommends out-of-office BP readings to confirm high BPs in the office, and to recognize masked hypertension (MH) and white coat hypertension (WCH). 12 The European Society of Hypertension recommended out-of-office BP in 2007 as a complement to office BP measurement. 17 The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline in 2010 was the first to recommend confirmation of the hypertension diagnosis using out-of-office measurements, although this was primarily to exclude overtreatment of patients with WCH. 18 Since the publication of the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline, other national guidelines have also recommended the use of out-of-office readings to exclude WCH and MH, though these readings were recommended to be complementary rather than preferred to office readings. 19 , 20 Differences between office BP, AOBP, HBPM and ABPM are summarized in Supplemental Figure I .

AOBP monitors that can be programed to measure multiple BP readings automatically after the recommended rest period were also promoted by the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline and 2019 AHA Scientific Statement. 12 , 15 While earlier data suggested that BP varied with the presence or absence of staff during BP measurement with these devices, 21 more recent studies have refuted this concern when the core recommendations for accurate measurement are respected. 22 – 24 However, less active staff involvement can result in less staff time per reading compared to manual measurement (and potential cost savings). 25 A challenge to the use of oscillometric devices in place of mercury and aneroid sphygmomanometers in clinical practice and research is the lack of independent validation of many such devices and the lack of requirement for validation of devices sold in most countries, including the US. 15 , 26 Unfortunately, only 1 in 5 automated devices are validated for accuracy. 27 Online listing of validated devices, including the newly released U.S. Blood Pressure Validated Device Listing are now readily available. 28 , 29 Although well-designed comparisons of ABPM and HBPM are not available, some helpful reports have been published during the last two years. In a study of participants (N=333) with office BP < 140/90, ABPM was more sensitive in detecting MH than HBPM, with a MH prevalence of 25.8% overall and 11.1% at home, with 29-29.5% showing MH by both techniques. 30 In another study, HBPM was as effective as ABPM in predicting left ventricular mass index. 31 A comparison of office and out-of-office BP measuring techniques is shown in Table 1 .

Comparison of Office BP, Automated Office BP, ABPM and HBPM

ABPM, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; BP, blood pressure; CVD, cardiovascular disease; HBPM, home blood pressure monitoring; LVH, left ventricular hypertrophy; MH, masked hypertension; NH, nocturnal hypertension; WCH, white coat hypertension.

Despite its lower sensitivity in detecting MH, HBPM remains the most practical option for recognition of MH and WCH as well as for BP monitoring, especially during medication titration and monitoring of treatment BP levels. However, careful attention to patient education is required in order for providers to have confidence accepting HBPM data over office readings to determine BP control ( Table 2 ). 12 , 32 , 33 In a study of community-dwelling adults (N=318), two readings taken in the morning and evening for a minimum of 3 days have proven sufficient for reliable estimation of out-of-office BP and for confirming the diagnosis of hypertension. 34 HBPM has been particularly useful with the increasing need for virtual visits to manage hypertension during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Procedures for Use of HBPM *

Note: We encourage training and certification through PAHO or AHA/AMA Target BP virtual courses.

AHA, American Heart Association; AMA, American Medical Association; BP, blood pressure; HBPM, home blood pressure monitoring; PAHO, Pan American Health Organization.

Newer technologies for BP measurement that are less intrusive and provide a more complete profile of BP are on the horizon. 35 These will require both validation for accuracy and their capacity to predict clinical outcomes. The ability to measure and compare central to brachial BP was proposed as a better way to predict CVD risk. 36 However, a recent study in a large cohort (N = 13,461) suggested that measurement of central BP using the Sphygmocor device was no more predictive of CVD outcomes than AOBP readings obtained with the Omron 907 device. 37

Patient Evaluation: Screening for Secondary Hypertension

The 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline provides detailed guidance on historical, physical and laboratory features that may suggest secondary hypertension and merit additional testing. 12 It is particularly important to consider an evaluation for secondary causes when the patient is young or the hypertension is resistant to treatment. Identification of a secondary cause may cure hypertension, or improve BP control if a cure is not feasible. The approaches to management of renovascular hypertension and primary aldosteronism have recently been modified.

Renovascular hypertension

Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of renal artery interventions in ASCVD renovascular hypertension have failed to demonstrate an improvement in mortality or renal survival 38 . A recent systematic review of 8 major RCTs reported reduction in DBP and the number of antihypertensive medications needed, but no differences in SBP or renal function after angioplasty. 39

Even when significant ASCVD renal artery stenosis is confirmed, the optimal course of treatment is not clear, particularly with unilateral lesions. 40 In most cases, unilateral lesions can be managed using medical therapy (renin-angiotensin system blockade) with periodic surveillance to ensure adequate perfusion of the contralateral non-stenotic kidney. However, for some patients, particularly those who are younger, have sudden onset of hypertension or have radiologic features that suggest fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), direct intervention is often sensible ( Table 3 ). 41 For FMD this should consist of angioplasty without stents, whereas stents are needed for most atherosclerotic lesions to maintain long-term patency. For patients with bilateral hemodynamically significant stenosis, defined as a stenosis greater than 75%, intra-arterial intervention should be considered with careful assessment of patient risk for complications, especially renal athero-embolic events. In patients at high risk for complications from intra-arterial intervention, a trial of renin-angiotensin system blockade is an appropriate first step with careful monitoring of kidney function. If creatinine rises more than 30% or the patient develops sudden (flash) pulmonary edema, this will suggest the need for an invasive approach. Patients with severe bilateral stenosis were not included in the RCTs and require careful individualized decision-making with consideration of intervention to preserve kidney function.

Clinical Approaches to Renovascular Hypertension Evaluation and Treatment

CT, computerized tomography; CVD, cardiovascular disease; MR, magnetic resonance; US, ultrasound.

Primary aldosteronism

New evidence suggests that primary aldosteronism is part of a spectrum of aldosterone excess states. Recent publications suggest aldosterone excess plays a role in primary hypertension or intermediate conditions of relative aldosterone excess, a forme fruste of the full primary aldosteronism state. Data from Brown et.al. 42 support consideration of primary aldosteronism even when the plasma aldosterone/renin ratio (ARR) screening test is negative. In an analysis of patient cohorts at 4 centers, including participants with normal BP, untreated stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension, and treated resistant hypertension (RH), ARR was compared to urinary aldosterone excretion measured after oral salt loading. Using a urinary aldosterone level > 12 ug/24h as the threshold for diagnosis, primary aldosteronism was present in 11.3% of normotensive patients, and up to 22% of those with hypertension, with increasing prevalence associated with greater severity of hypertension. The ARR had poor sensitivity and negative predictive value, particularly when renin was suppressed. 42 Cohen et al. 43 reported very low (1.6%) utilization of ARR screening for patients with RH in the Veterans Administration system suggesting that many cases of primary aldosteronism are missed. These findings suggest that aldosterone excess may play a role even in primary hypertension and may be unrecognized as a contributor to RH ( Figure 1 ). For hypertensive patients with suppressed renin levels, especially those with uncontrolled or RH, it is important to go beyond the ARR to measure urinary aldosterone excretion under salt-loading conditions. Further, the concept of a spectrum of aldosterone excess mediated mechanisms may explain the effectiveness of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) observed in the PATHWAY-2 trial of RH. 44

Schematic representation of the mechanisms of autonomous aldosterone production in primary hypertension. Aldosterone production from the adrenal zona glomerulosa is independent of the renin-angiotensin system and is not suppressible with dietary sodium loading. Excess aldosterone expands extracellular fluid volume by augmenting sodium reabsorption in the renal cortical collecting duct. Expanded fluid volume leads to hypertension and suppression of renin and the entire renin-angiotensin cascade. Increased aldosterone production is abnormal in the face of renin suppression but plasma aldosterone concentrations are lower than those of patients with classical overt primary aldosteronism. ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; Ang, angiotensin; AT 1 , angiotensin type-1. Dashed line and grey tone indicates suppression.

CV Risk Assessment and BP Threshold for Drug Therapy

The 2017 ACC/AHA BP Guideline based decisions regarding initiation of medication on level of BP and estimation of ASCVD risk, supported by evidence from clinical trials and meta-analyses. 12 The ACC/AHA risk calculator provides guidance for patients age 40-79 years, but does not apply to younger patients where data are lacking. Based on average risk in the landmark antihypertensive drug trials, a 10-year ASCVD ≥10% was identified as the cut point for definition of high risk.

Treatment of hypertension in young adults

With rising rates of overweight and obesity, in the US and globally, the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) resulting from insulin resistance has increased and may carry greater risk in the context of multiple CVD risk factors, even in the young. 1 For young patients with isolated hypertension, lifetime risk of ASCVD is high. As the overall distribution of BP has shifted to a lower average value in the community, more CVD events are occurring at lower BP levels. 14 , 45 This was recently shown to be true for young adults with hypertension who have earlier onset of CHD, HF, stroke, transient ischemic attacks and peripheral arterial disease requiring intervention. In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) longitudinal study of 3851 young adults followed over a median of 18.8 years, only 4% were taking medication for hypertension. 46 Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD events were 1.67 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-2.77], 1.75 (95% CI, 1.22-2.53), and 3.49 (95% CI, 2.42-5.05), for elevated BP, and ACC/AHA stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension, respectively, compared to controls with normal BP. 46 Supplemented by evidence for target organ damage (TOD) including LVH 47 and brain volume and white matter changes 48 , high BP in the young may no longer be considered benign. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to delay antihypertensive pharmacologic treatment, even while lacking event-based RCT evidence for prevention of ASCVD. Young patients are reported to have lower awareness, slower time to diagnosis and poorer BP control than older patients. Concerns raised by providers relate to labeling of young adults with illness, medication safety concerns, especially in women of childbearing age, concerns related to potential misdiagnosis, and impact on life insurance rates. Both DBP and SBP are important for prediction of CVD risk in young adults. In a recently reported risk analysis conducted in almost 6.5 million Koreans, aged 20-39 years at baseline, who were followed for a median of 13.2 years, ACC/AHA stage 1 isolated systolic hypertension, isolated diastolic hypertension, and systolic/diastolic hypertension were associated with multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios of 1.36, 1.32, and 1.67, respectively, compared to normal BP. 49

The evidence suggests treatment of hypertension in the young using lifestyle modification with the addition of BP lowering medications when lifestyle interventions are inadequate. Allowing a period of 6 to 12 months to institute lifestyle modification is reasonable but only in the absence of TOD. There is an urgent need for hypertension treatment event-based RCTs in the young which will likely require measuring TOD endpoints rather than only CV events and death.

Lifestyle Management: The Cornerstone of Prevention and Treatment

Numerous environmental factors are associated with BP, especially components of diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption. In many instances, changes in exposure to these factors has led to a corresponding change in BP, with the best proven interventions being a healthy diet, reduced sodium intake, weight loss, augmentation of potassium intake, physical activity, and abstinence or moderation in alcohol consumption. 12 , 50 These six interventions are effective for prevention of hypertension, treatment of hypertension, enhancing the effect of antihypertensive medication, and reducing the number of drugs needed to control BP ( Table 4 ).

Six Best Proven Nonpharmacological Recommendations for Prevention and Management of Hypertension.

DASH, dietary approaches to stop hypertension; SBP, systolic blood pressure.

A recent meta-analysis confirmed the efficacy of nonpharmacological interventions for prevention of hypertension in trials that were conducted in low- and middle-income countries. 51 Fu et al. 52 conducted a series of clinical trials network meta-analyses to estimate the comparative effectiveness of 22 different interventions for lowering BP in two groups of adults (those with an SBP ≥140 mm Hg, DBP ≥90 mm Hg, or taking antihypertensive medication, and those with an SBP 120-139 mm Hg or DBP 80-89 mm Hg). Based on the BP lowering effects in pooled analyses and the GRADE estimated quality of the underlying data 53 , they concluded that an intervention based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) was superior to usual care and all other nonpharmacological interventions in lowering SBP. Unfortunately, differences in study design, intervention methods, the samples studied, and other aspects of the clinical trials that were compared make it difficult to conduct a fair comparison. The greatest impediment to accepting the conclusion that the DASH diet provides superior BP lowering compared to the other interventions recommended in the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline is that the DASH diet trials included in the Fu et al. 52 meta-analyses were feeding studies, whereas most of the other interventions were evaluated in trials that employed behavior change interventions. Feeding studies provide a very efficient means to change diet but they are expensive and the efficacy in such studies is not generalizable. In clinical practice, behavior change and pill supplementation are the only practical approaches to implementing nonpharmacological recommendations, with behavior change being the preferred approach. 12 In a three-arm behavioral change trial (N = 810; baseline mean SBP/DBP = 134.9/84.8 mm Hg), that compared usual care, an “established” BP lowering intervention (weight loss, sodium reduction, increased physical activity, and limited alcohol intake), and addition of the DASH diet to the “established” intervention, both active interventions were effective compared to usual care (approximately 4 mm Hg SBP net difference), but addition of the DASH diet to the “established” diet provided no additional statistically significant lowering of SBP (P = 0.43). 54 It may be better to accept that each of the nonpharmacological interventions recommended in the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline is effective and use of two or more interventions is likely to result in a more substantial effect. 55 Likewise, each of the interventions has greater efficacy at higher starting levels of BP. A pragmatic approach in clinical and public health practice is to decide which of the proven interventions are likely to be of greatest benefit based on an individual’s or population’s lifestyle and their perceived willingness to embrace the interventions. Specifically, is overweight, excessive sodium or alcohol consumption, or unhealthy diet the biggest problem and which of the possible interventions is likely to be embraced with the most enthusiasm?

The greatest potential for a population-wide nonpharmacological intervention is gradual reduction in the addition of sodium during food processing and preparation. 56 Resolve to Save Lives, the World Health Organization, the World Hypertension League and others are collaborating to achieve the goal of sodium reduction globally. 57 – 60 A new biostatistical method, which facilitates aggregation of data from two-armed RCTs, the most common type of experimental contrast, has made estimation of the dose-response relationship between sodium and BP more feasible. 61 Filippini et al. 62 used this method to conduct a sodium-BP dose-response meta-analysis based on 81 clinical trials with a minimal duration of four weeks. They identified a substantially linear dose-response relationship between sodium intake and BP across the entire range of exposure, with a 100 mmol/d reduction in sodium being associated with a 5.43 mm Hg reduction in SBP. The results were similar for those with or without hypertension, except that the former group exhibited a steeper decrease in BP following sodium reduction. These findings support the lower sodium intake target (<1,500 mg/d) recommended by the AHA 63 , compared to the <2,300 mg/d target endorsed by the 2019 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes Review Committee 64 , or the <2,000 mg/d target advocated in 2012 by the World Health Organization. 65 However, the findings also suggest benefit from any reduction in sodium intake that can be achieved.

In a separate analysis of 32 RCTs, Filippini et al. 66 reported a U-shaped pattern for the dose-response relationship between potassium intake and BP, with the optimal BP lowering effect occurring for potassium intakes in the range of 90-150 mmol/d. The BP lowering effect was greater in participants with compared to those without hypertension and for those at higher levels of sodium intake.

Several reports have confirmed the errors associated with use of spot urines to estimate 24-hour urinary sodium intake. 67 – 70 Spot urines provide systematically biased estimates of 24-hour urinary excretion, with over-estimation at lower intakes of sodium and under-estimation at higher intakes. 67 Likewise, use of spot urines to estimate 24-hour urinary sodium intake yields a J-shaped relationship with mortality whereas the relationship is linear when 24-hour urine collections are used to assess the relationship. 67 The World Hypertension League published a position paper on use of spot urines, short duration timed collections, and 24-hour collections to assess dietary sodium intake. 71 The position paper endorsed use of a single 24-hour urine measurement over a series of days from a representative population sample for estimation of a population’s current 24-hour dietary sodium ingestion and an average of at least three non-consecutive 24-hour urinary collections was recommended for estimation of current usual dietary sodium intake in individuals. Despite the well-documented errors resulting from use of spot urines to estimate average intake of dietary sodium, leading peer-reviewed journals continue to publish manuscripts in which dietary sodium intake has been estimated using spot urines. 72 – 74

Pharmacological Management

The 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline and other recent guidelines continue to recommend thiazide or thiazide-type diuretics, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) as initial drug choices, and for subsequent add-on therapy, based on their efficacy in reducing BP and documented benefit in reducing clinical outcomes. 12 , 19 , 75 Beta-blockers are generally not recommended as first line agents in patients without CHD or heart failure due to lesser benefit on stroke reduction compared with agents from the other recommended classes. 12 , 20 , 75 , 76 Spironolactone or eplerenone are recommended for BP control in patients with RH. 12 , 77

Chlorthalidone and indapamide, thiazide-like diuretics, have a longer duration of action compared to thiazide diuretics and are the preferred diuretics for management of hypertension. HCTZNetwork meta-analyses have shown benefit of chlorthalidone over HCTZ on clinical outcomes, although a large (N=730,225) retrospective, non-randomized observational study of new users of chlorthalidone (N=36,918) compared to HCTZ from administrative databases failed to document a significant difference in effectiveness. 78 The VA Diuretic Comparison Project, a randomized comparison of chlorthalidone and HCTZ effects on clinical outcomes in 13,500 patients, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2022. 79

Some glucose lowering agents, particularly glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors significantly improve CVD and kidney outcomes, especially in diabetic patients with and without hypertension. They also reduce BP significantly, with SGLT-2 inhibitors seeming to have the largest effect. 80 , 81 The magnitude of BP lowering (2-4 mm Hg on 24 hour ABPM) with these agents is less than with most first-line antihypertensive agents. Given this and their greater cost, SGLT-2 inhibitors should be prescribed primarily for glucose lowering rather than for treatment of high BP.

Despite the lower BP targets recommended in the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline, hypertension control rates in the US remain suboptimal even by the higher JNC-7 BP treatment targets, largely due to under-treatment, especially in Black patients. 82 Quality improvement interventions have increased BP control overall and in race-ethnic subgroups, but a 5-10% difference in control rates persists between Black and non-Black adults. Clinician inertia and patient nonadherence to the prescribed treatment continue as major contributors to inadequate BP control. A recent report from a quality improvement project aimed at more accurate BP measurement, reducing therapeutic inertia, and increasing treatment adherence over 6 months demonstrated sustained SBP lowering of 12.7 mm Hg for an additional 6 months compared to a 5 mm Hg SBP decline during the baseline period in patients with uncontrolled BP, P<0.0001. 83 However, clinician inertia was only reduced from 52% to 49.5%. No race/ethnic difference in BP control was noted with the BP regimen utilized in the SPRINT even in the < 120 mmHg arm where chlorthalidone, the primary diuretic, and amlodipine, the primary CCB, were provided at no cost to the study participants. 84 The effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of 90 compared to 30 day prescription refills in improving adherence has also been demonstrated. 85 The major elements of an effective antihypertensive drug treatment program are provided in Table 5 .

Keys to Effective Blood Pressure Control in Adults with Hypertension

RCTs have demonstrated that the risk of CVD can be greatly reduced with effective antihypertensive therapy. 3 , 4 Choice of an optimal goal for BP treatment should be based on a balance between the best level for CVD prevention and the risk of untoward side effects resulting from the treatment.

On the basis of new evidence, the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline reduced the SBP/DBP goal from that recommended in the 2003 JNC-7 [<140/90 mm Hg for most adults but <130/80 mm Hg for those with DM or chronic kidney disease (CKD)] to <130/80 mm Hg for most adults but an SBP <130 mm Hg for noninstitutionalized ambulatory community-dwelling adults ≥65 years of age. 12 Evidence supporting this guideline change included results of the SPRINT as well as multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses, as summarized in several post-guideline reports. 86 – 88 In addition, a recent direct meta-analysis by Sakima et al. 89 , restricted to 19 trials in which adults with hypertension were randomly assigned to a different BP target, reported a significant reduction in major CVD events, MI and stroke in those assigned to more versus less intensive treatment and in subgroup analysis identified a BP target of < 130/80 mmHg as optimal for CVD protection. Likewise, a meta-analysis of four RCTs conducted in patients with prior stroke documented a significant reduction in recurrent stroke among those randomized to more intensive BP reduction. 90

Concerns have been raised that the CVD and all-cause mortality benefit of intensive BP control in the SPRINT might have been offset by an increased rate of treatment adverse effects. This concern was largely assuaged by the recent demonstration that intensive BP control is not associated with other causes of hospitalization. 91 Another widespread concern, especially in older adults, had been that more intensive antihypertensive treatment might increase the frequency and/or severity of orthostatic hypotension, leading to falls, syncope and/or CVD events. This concern was put to rest by two reports by Juraschek et al. 92 , 93 examining the SPRINT data and the aggregated individual patient data from multiple clinical trials for association of intensive treatment with orthostatic hypotension. In the SPRINT, orthostatic hypotension was more common in the standard treatment group and was not associated with a higher rate of CVD events or with syncope, electrolyte abnormalities, injurious falls or acute renal failure. 92 , 94 In the Juraschek et al. 93 meta-analysis of 18,466 participants, including those in the SPRINT, intensive BP lowering treatment also reduced the risk of orthostatic hypotension, possibly due to improvement in baroreflex function and diastolic filling while reducing left ventricular hypertrophy and/or arterial stiffness. Thus, asymptomatic orthostatic hypotension during hypertension treatment should not trigger automatic down-titration of therapy, even in the setting of a lower BP goal.

The AHA’s Life’s Simple 7 focuses on cardiovascular health factors for primordial or primary prevention of CVD (smoking, body mass index, physical activity, total cholesterol, diet, BP and fasting glucose). 95 , 96 The AHA Life’s Simple 7 online survey tool increases patient awareness of their BP and other related comorbidities such as DM, obesity and high sodium intake. 97 . Treating hypertension to goal aims to achieve ideal cardiovascular health.

Older Adults

Professional societies provide conflicting advice on best practices for management of hypertension in older adults. The 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline recommends a treatment goal of <130 mm Hg for noninstitutionalized ambulatory community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years of age) and an individualized team-based approach, based on clinical judgement and patient preference, for those with a high burden of comorbidity and limited life expectancy. 12 In adults at high risk for CVD, including older adults, Hypertension Canada 2020 recommends initiation of antihypertensive medication in those with an SBP ≥130 mm Hg and treatment to an SBP goal <120 mm Hg. 98 The National Heart Foundation of Australia hypertension guideline recommends initiating antihypertensive drug therapy in “patients at moderate absolute CVD risk (10-15% 5-year risk) with persistent BP ≥140 mm Hg and/or ≥90 mm Hg diastolic” and an initial SBP/DBP target of <140/90 mm Hg or lower, if tolerated, with an SBP goal of <120 mm Hg in older adults (>75 years), if tolerated. 99 At the other extreme, the American College of Physicians (ACP) and American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommend that adults ≥60 years with a persistent SBP ≥150 mm Hg should be treated with antihypertensive medication to achieve a target SBP of <150 mm Hg, with consideration of a <140 mm Hg target in those with a history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, or other unspecified evidence of high risk for CVD. 11

Population modeling studies 100 , 101 have suggested substantial health benefits from implementation of the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline recommendations compared with those in the 2003 JNC 7 Report 9 or the 2014 JNC-8 Panel Members Report 8 . In US adults ≥40 years, Bundy et al. 100 estimated that in comparison to the 2014 JNC-8 Panel Members Report recommendations, implementation of the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline recommendations would result in an annual reduction of 340,000 CVD events and 157,000 deaths ( Table 6 ). In an analysis confined to adults ≥60 years, Jaeger et al. 102 identified a high 10-year risk of ASCVD (18.0%) in adults for whom the ACC/AHA but not the ACP/AAFP Guideline recommends antihypertensive drug therapy. Among adults already taking antihypertensive medication, the 10-year risk of ASCVD in those recommended intensification of therapy by the ACC/AHA, but not the ACP/AAFP, was also high (18.2%). Thus, the ACC/AHA Guideline is more effective than the ACP/AAFP Guideline in identifying adults ≥60 years of age at high CVD risk for the initiation and intensification of antihypertensive drug therapy.

Simulation study by Bundy et al. 100 comparing estimated annual prevention of CVD events and deaths by adhering to 2014 JNC-8 panel recommendations or the 2017 ACC/AHA BP Guideline.

Note: Sensitivity analysis determined that, even if 100% implementation of the 2017 guideline were not achieved, the CVD event and death reductions would still be significantly larger compared to the 2014 guideline. ACC, American College of Cardiology; AHA, American Heart Association; ARCS, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, BP, blood pressure; CV, cardiovascular; CVD, cardiovascular disease; JNC, Joint National Committee; MESA, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Study; NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; NNT, number needed to treat; RCT, randomized controlled trial.

During the past two years, several additional original research papers and meta-analyses have contributed to our understanding of the management of hypertension in older adults. 103 – 106 In an analysis of the overall SPRINT cohort [N=9361; mean age=67.9 years; median follow-up (FU) = 3.34 years], mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was detected in 239 of the 4678 participants (16.2 per 1000 person-years) randomized to intensive antihypertensive treatment (SBP target <120 mm Hg) compared with 284 of the 4683 participants (19.4 per 1000 person-years) randomized to standard antihypertensive treatment (SBP target <140 mm Hg), resulting in a HR (95% CI) of 0.83, 0.70 – 0.99. 103 In a randomized comparison of participants with a median FU of 5.11 years (trial and extended post-trial FU), there was a significant difference in both MCI (HR, 95% CI = 0.81, 0.69 – 0.95; P = 0.007) and the composite of dementia and MCI (HR, 95% CI = 0.85, 0.74 – 0.97; P = 0.01), and a nonsignificant trend for benefit in dementia per se (HR, 95% CI = 0.83, 0.67 – 1.04). 103 During FU, CVD events occurred much earlier than dementia indicating the need for trials with a longer period of treatment and FU than occurred in the SPRINT where the trial was stopped prematurely due to CVD and all-cause mortality benefit after a median FU of only 3.26 years.

In a subset of 670 SPRINT participants (mean age = 67.3 years) who were evaluated with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline and after four years of FU (N = 449), randomization to intensive treatment was associated with a smaller increase in cerebral white matter lesion volume, an independent risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia, compared to standard treatment during trial FU. 104 Similar apparent MRI benefits were noted in the INFINITY trial and during extended FU in the ACCORD trial. 105 , 106

In a secondary analysis, confined to SPRINT participants who were ≥80 years at baseline (N = 1167; mean age = 83.5 years), those randomized to intensive and standard treatment achieved a mean SBP of 123.9 mm Hg and 135.3 mm Hg, respectively, resulting a somewhat smaller mean difference between the two groups (11.5 mm Hg) 107 than the average difference (14.8 mm Hg) noted in the overall trial cohort (N = 9361). 94 , 103 Despite this and the smaller sample size, randomization to intensive treatment lowered the risk of major CVD events (HR, 95% CI = 0.67, 0.50 – 0.90), all-cause mortality (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.48 – 0.93), and MCI (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53 – 0.98) compared with standard treatment. 107 The CVD and mortality benefits resulting from intensive therapy were similar to those reported in an earlier subgroup analysis confined to participants ≥75 years (N = 2636). 108 In the SPRINT participants ≥80 years, there was no evidence that gait speed modified the treatment effect on major CVD events or all-cause mortality, but the participants with higher baseline Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores experienced significantly better CVD and all-cause mortality outcomes compared to their counterparts with lower MoCA scores (0.01 and 0.003, respectively). 107

In a meta-analysis that included 14 RCTs (N = 96158; mean age = 69 years), BP lowering (12 trials; N = 92,135; mean FU = 4.1 years) resulted in a small but significant reduction in the risk of dementia or cognitive impairment [odds ratio (OR), 95% CI: 0.93, 0.88 – 0.98). 109 There was no convincing evidence for the superiority of any class of antihypertensive medication in the prevention of dementia or cognitive decline in a meta-analysis of 21 cohort studies (N = 43,049) and eight clinical trials (N = 13,817), two of which were treated as cohort studies in the analysis, where the mean age of most participants was between 70 and 79 years. 110

Several ongoing SPRINT-like RCTs are being conducted in Brazil and China in patients with hypertension and diabetes and with hypertension and stroke. 111 These trials are utilizing study designs that allow for continued treatment and trial assessment of dementia should a convincing difference in CVD events occur prior to the planned end of the trial. Collectively, they will contribute to our understanding of the optimal SBP treatment target for prevention of CVD, all-cause mortality, MCI, and dementia, overall and in subgroups, including in older adults.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM)

High BP and type 2 DM frequently coexist, with hypertension being reported in approximately 80% of patients with DM. In cohort studies, the combination of hypertension and DM has been repeatedly shown to dramatically increase the risk of CVD compared to either risk factor on its own. 112 Lifestyle modification is central to prevention and management of both DM and hypertension, with an emphasis on weight loss and physical activity for prevention and control of DM. 113 , 114 Addition of antihypertensive drug therapy is recommended because most patients with the combination of hypertension and DM are at high risk for ASCVD. 12 In addition, most surveys suggest that clinicians do not formally estimate CVD/ASCVD risk even when recommended by guidelines. 115 The benefits of antihypertensive drug therapy for management of hypertension in patients with DM have been extensively demonstrated in individual RCTs and meta-analyses of clinical trials. 3 , 116 All recommended classes of antihypertensive drug therapy, including diuretics, are similarly effective for prevention of CVD, except in those with heavy proteinuria and/or advanced kidney disease where renin-angiotensin system inhibitors are indicated. 12 Typically, a combination of two or three agents is required to achieve BP targets.

There is substantial guideline concordance for an SBP goal of <130 mm Hg in most adults with hypertension and DM. 12 , 19 , 117 For example, in 95.7% of adults on antihypertensive medication who remain above their recommended BP goal both the ACC/AHA BP Guideline and American Diabetes Association (ADA) Position Statement recommend intensification of therapy. 118 The Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes BP Trial (ACCORD BP) was based on a factorial design, in which the planned analysis assumed no interaction between the different treatments being studied (BP lowering and glycemic control). 119 The ACCORD BP results indicate this assumption was not realized, with the consequence that the planned analysis yielded results that are unreliable. 119 In a secondary post hoc analysis, the participants randomized to intensive BP lowering (SBP target <120 mm Hg) and standard glycemic control derived CVD prevention benefits that were comparable those seen with intensive BP lowering in the SPRINT. 120 There was no evidence of CVD benefit in the participants randomized to intensive BP lowering and intensive glycemic control. However, after the intensive glycemic intervention was discontinued, due to harm, CVD prevention in those randomized to intensive BP lowering changed to a pattern like that seen in SPRINT. 120 In a secondary analysis of 10,948 Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease (ADVANCE) RCT participants, all of whom had DM at baseline, treatment with a perindopril-indapamide combination significantly reduced mortality and major CVD (macrovascular and microvascular) events compared to placebo, irrespective of baseline SBP or a 10-year ASCVD risk <20% or ≥20%. 121 In those with a baseline SBP <140 mm Hg, most of the active therapy benefit resulted from treatment in the group with a baseline SBP 130-139 mm Hg – a finding that supports the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline recommendation to treat such individuals with a combination of nonpharmacological therapy and antihypertensive medication, especially those with a 10-year ASCVD risk ≥10%. 12

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

The inclusion and careful renal disease monitoring of patients with stage 3-4 CKD in the SPRINT has expanded our understanding of the kidney function changes that occur with intensive BP control. Subgroup analysis yielded similar benefits for prevention of CVD and all-cause mortality compared to what was identified in the full cohort, with very low rates of the main renal endpoint in those with CKD at baseline (halving of eGFR or development of ESRD). When lesser degrees of kidney function decline were considered, there was a higher risk of ≥ 30% decline in eGFR and lower albumin excretion rates with intensive therapy compared to standard therapy reported for both patients with and without CKD at baseline. Intensive treatment was associated with higher rates of reported acute kidney injury serious adverse events. 122 , 123 However, additional analyses suggest these changes were hemodynamic and were not associated with urinary biomarkers of kidney damage which were lower in the intensive treatment group. 124 Similar findings were reported for a sub-study of ACCORD participants. 125 These results which support a benign hemodynamic process rather than permanent injury as the mechanism for a rise in serum creatinine remain preliminary, covering only the first 1-2 years of treatment; thus, additional longer term data will be needed to confirm the findings.

An updated Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) BP guideline has been released. 126 The report recommends standardized office BP measurements, preferably using an automated device, and intensive antihypertensive therapy with a target SBP of <120 mm Hg for all patients with CKD not on dialysis, including those with and without DM.

Resistant hypertension

Resetting the general BP goal for antihypertensive therapy to <130/80 mm Hg by the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline de facto changed the definition of treatment RH. 12 This change was reconfirmed by the 2018 AHA Scientific Statement on RH 77 which formally defined the disorder as BP that remains uncontrolled above goal in spite of the concurrent use of 3 antihypertensive drugs of different classes. These pharmacologic classes commonly include a long-acting CCB, a blocker of the renin-angiotensin system (ie. ACEI or ARB) and a diuretic, and all 3 agents should be administered at maximum or maximally tolerated doses and at the appropriate dosing interval. RH also includes patients whose BP is controlled at or below goal but requiring ≥4 antihypertensive agents of different classes to achieve target. 77

A critical change in the definition of RH in the 2018 AHA Scientific Statement was that pseudo-resistance (ie. error in BP measurement, the white coat effect and/or suboptimal adherence to the antihypertensive drug regimen) now must be excluded before a patient can be labeled as having RH. 77 Exclusion of pseudo-resistance before making the diagnosis of RH was also recommended by the 2018 European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Society of Hypertension (ESH) BP guideline. 19 While the new goal for BP control in the office is now <130/80 mm Hg, it is important to remember that office BP should be confirmed using out-of-office measurements and that the 24-h ABPM goal is now <125/75 mm Hg as recently validated. 12 , 15 , 77 , 127

Under the new definition of RH using the 130/80 mm Hg cutoff, its prevalence was expected to escalate dramatically, placing an exponential burden on the healthcare system. However, population modeling studies have estimated that this change would result in only about a 2% increase in the prevalence of RH (from 17.7 to 19.7%) in the United States. 128

The importance of RH is its association with higher CVD and kidney disease risk compared to hypertension without resistance, but the prognosis of RH using the current definition had not been studied. 77 The first evidence was provided by a large RH cohort study from Korea (2000 participants) with the white coat effect excluded demonstrating that the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE; myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure or CV death) and adverse kidney outcomes was similar under the 2018 AHA as compared with earlier definitions of RH with no significant difference for predicting MACE. 129

In addition to cardiac, central nervous system and kidney target organ damage, aortic stiffness had been demonstrated both as a pathogenetic factor and a consequence of the hypertensive process, but the prognostic importance of aortic stiffness in RH per se had not previously been evaluated. A large cohort study (891 participants) of patients with RH demonstrated that patients with increased aortic stiffness, as measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), had a significant 2.2- to 2.6-fold increased risk of CVD events and mortality. 130 Increased aortic stiffness predicted adverse cardiovascular outcomes and mortality and improved CVD risk stratification in RH. 130 Thus, cfPWV measurement might be considered in the work up and management of RH.

In the management of RH, it has heretofore been unclear which BP measurements optimally predict TOD and prognosis. A large cohort study (1726 participants) of RH has shown that ABPM seems to be more strongly associated with adverse CVD and mortality outcomes than clinic BP and that BP measured during follow up with patients on treatment was more strongly associated with adverse outcomes than baseline BPs. 131 Measurement of ambulatory rather than clinic BP, and on-treatment BP as opposed to baseline measurements, improved risk discrimination for prediction of adverse outcomes. Uncontrolled ABPM levels were associated with adverse outcomes, whereas office BP levels after adjustment for ambulatory BP were not. Furthermore, the previous and new lower BP cutoffs for RH were approximately equivalent in their strengths of association with adverse outcomes. These results encourage the use of serial ABPM in the management of patients with RH. 131

Both the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline and the 2018 AHA Scientific Statement on RH recommend comprehensive screening for secondary causes of hypertension in all patients with RH 12 , 77 . Primary aldosteronism has a particularly high (≈20%) prevalence in RH and is relatively easy to screen with an ARR. 77 , 132 At least 2 studies have confirmed the abysmal rates (1.6 - 2.1%) of screening for primary aldosteronism in RH. 43 , 133 Given the recent discovery of a higher prevalence of autonomous aldosterone production than previously recognized in primary hypertension 42 , the devastating CVD and renal consequences of primary aldosteronism beyond those for primary hypertension and the availability of specific treatment in the form of adrenalectomy for unilateral and MRAs for bilateral disease 132 , these studies uncovering poor detection effort provide a clarion call to increase screening for primary aldosteronism in RH, and indeed in all patients with hypertension.

The 2018 AHA Scientific Statement on RH presented a new evidence-based template for the therapeutic sequence, first recommending optimization of the 3 drug regimen (agent, dose and timing), followed by substitution of a thiazide-like diuretic (chlorthalidone or indapamide) for hydrochlorothiazide. 77 If BP remains uncontrolled, the Statement recommends addition of a MRA (spironolactone or eplerenone) on the basis of demonstrated superiority over other 4 th drug options in PATHWAY-2. 44 , 77 , 134 Beyond this recommendation, all others are expert opinion only.

The available MRAs each have potential problems in the treatment of RH. Spironolactone displays cross-inhibition of the androgen receptor resulting in reproductive hormone-related adverse effects, and eplerenone is less potent and has a shorter half-life requiring twice daily dosing to control BP. Esaxerenone is a non-steroidal, potent, selective MRA with the potential for fewer side effects. In a double-blind, large-scale RCT in patients with primary hypertension and normal GFR, esaxerenone was noninferior to eplerenone in lowering BP for 12 weeks. 135 Non-steroidal MRAs such as esaxerenone and finerenone have great potential in lowering BP in RH without inducing hyperkalemia, a potential adverse effect of steroidal MRAs, especially in adults with reduced GFR. Meanwhile, the AMBER trial has demonstrated that K + -binding agent patiromer can enable the use of spironolactone with less hyperkalemia in patients with RH and CKD. 136 As demonstrated by a secondary analysis of SPRINT, irrespective of the pharmacologic agents employed, intensive BP lowering is superior to standard treatment in terms of CVD outcomes in RH. 137

Optimization of Care Using Patient, Provider and Health System Approaches

Hypertension is a chronic disease process requiring accurate detection and lifelong management to maximize clinical outcomes. Optimization of hypertension care demands, first and foremost, affordable and sustainable access to care. This includes patient identification; patient and clinician agreement on the appropriate BP goal; shared decision-making that facilitates the patient’s benefit, goals and values; BP monitoring at both patient and practice levels; implementation of team-based care with defined team member roles; appropriate lifestyle recommendations and counseling; systematic follow up; minimization of clinician inertia in the initiation and intensification of treatment; promotion of a high level of adherence to the therapeutic regimen, and the use of electronic medical records, mobile health technologies, BP self-monitoring and telemonitoring, and other novel technologies. 5 Overall, governmental, health system, payor and community resources must be united and deployed to provide patient self-management support, health care delivery design, decision support and clinical information systems that, when integrated, result in informed, activated patients and prepared, anticipatory practice teams working together to improve care and outcomes. 5 , 138 , 139

Clinician therapeutic inertia, defined as suboptimal prescription of antihypertensive therapy, has been identified as a major barrier preventing patients with hypertension from achieving their guideline-recommended BP goals. The US National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey indicates that in 41.7 million primary care visits (2005-2012) in patients with SBP ≥140 mm Hg or DBP ≥ 90 mm Hg, new antihypertensive medication was only initiated in 7 million (16.8%). 140 , 141 Reasons for failing to initiate or intensify antihypertensive therapy include lack of time, workflow constraints, concern about side effects, lack of knowledge to make pharmacologic agent and/or dosing decisions and uncertainty about the patient’s out-of-office BP. Overcoming clinician inertia can be accomplished through an integrated health system model of care. For example, BP control rates exceed the national average in the Kaiser Permanente and Veterans Affairs health systems, where the approach to BP control is systematic. Identifying patients with hypertension, standardizing BP measurements, and using a stepwise treatment algorithm have led to an increase in BP control rates from 54% in 2004 to 84% in 2010 in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health system. 142

Another major cause of uncontrolled BP is suboptimal adherence to the antihypertensive regimen, including failure to (1) initiate pharmacotherapy, (2) take medications as frequently as prescribed, and (3) persevere on therapy long-term. 143 Barriers to the achievement of a high level of adherence include limited access to care, cost, social determinants of health, complex medication regimens, inconvenient medication dosing and frequency, behavioral factors and adverse effects of medications in asymptomatic patients. While still a work in progress, detection of poor adherence ranges from simple, low cost screening tests in patients with uncontrolled BP to electronic and biochemical monitoring in those with RH. Consistently effective intervention strategies include increased patient-clinician communication, use of electronic communication methods, patient education and lifestyle and behavioral counseling. 143

One of the most important strategies to improve outcomes in the care of hypertension is team-based care, a multidisciplinary team surrounding the patient, to optimize the quality of care. The team includes the patient at the center, the primary clinician and other health professionals (eg. nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, dieticians, lifestyle counselors, social and community health care workers) each with specifically designated responsibilities in care. These health care professionals complement the primary clinician by providing process support and sharing the responsibilities of care.

Several clinical trials on the effectiveness of team-based care are available, but their individual participant size has generally been too small to provide the statistical power necessary to demonstrate effectiveness in lowering BP. Comparative effectiveness of various implementation strategies in BP reduction in patients with hypertension was recently assessed in a systematic review and meta-analysis of over 100 trials in 55,920 patients. 144 Team-based care with medication titration by a non-physician resulted in lowering of SBP by 7.1 mm Hg (95% CI 8.9-5.2) and by a physician by 6.2 mm Hg (95% CI 8.1-4.2). Multilevel strategies without team-based care also significantly lowered SBP (by 5 mm Hg). At the patient level, health coaching reduced office SBP by 3.9 mm Hg and HBPM by 3.7 mm Hg. Multilevel, multicomponent implementation strategies with and without team-based care are the most effective methods of BP control among hypertensive patients. 144 Thus, implementation strategies targeting multilevel or patient level barriers to care are appropriate methods to control BP in hypertensive patients. With the evidence currently available, these methods should now be scaled up for clinical practice and public health programs to improve BP control in communities.

Pharmacists have been widely employed in team-based care for hypertension. 145 A recent meta-analysis of 6 randomized trials involving 2,573 participants demonstrated that pharmacist interventions resulted in better BP control than usual care [OR 1.53 (CI 1.15-2.04), P<0.01]. 146 Pharmacist interventions using home-based BP telemonitoring were superior to usual care, whereas pharmacist intervention without BP telemonitoring did not improve BP control. In addition, a pharmacist-led intervention in a community setting for non-Hispanic Black male patrons of barbershops with uncontrolled BP resulted in a mean SBP reduction of 21.6 mm Hg greater than usual care at 6 months. 147 An advantage of pharmacist-provided hypertension care is that the effects often persist beyond the initial intervention period.

Advances in health information technology, including electronic health records and high-speed communications, provide ideal opportunities for improving BP control in patients with hypertension. Telemedicine is a revolutionary patient management tool facilitating interactive communication between the patient and the health care team from remote sites. 148 Telemedicine combines various forms of information technology to deliver care, consultation, medical education, and specific health and clinical services, including monitoring. Telemonitoring, a specific application of telemedicine, refers to remote monitoring of various vital and nonvital parameters, including BP, that are automatically communicated directly to the health care team.

Until recently, evidence for the use of BP self-monitoring and telemonitoring to titrate antihypertensive medication by physicians was equivocal. However, telemonitoring and/or self-monitoring of BP in the TASMINH4 trial provided new evidence that physician drug titration using patient self-monitoring led to lower BP and that including telemonitoring led to lower BP more rapidly than self-monitoring alone. 149 These approaches were also cost-effective. 150

Several meta-analyses based on numerous RCTs reported to date provide moderate to high level evidence that home BP telemonitoring enhances hypertension management and improves BP control in hypertensive patients. 148 The most successful BP telemonitoring approach seems to be BP data exchange with a case manager (eg. nurse or pharmacist) combined with education on lifestyle, risk factors and appropriate dosing of antihypertensive medications. Proactive intervention driven by the health care professional, rather than passive intervention, seems to provide the best and most long-lasting effects. A recent position paper on the use of telemedicine in the management of hypertension concludes that current evidence supports the use of telemedicine and BP telemonitoring, particularly in patients with difficult to control hypertension or those with poor adherence to their antihypertensive regimen. 148

Conclusions

Hypertension is the world’s leading risk factor for CVD and mortality. Since publication of the 2017 ACC/AHA BP Guideline, several new findings have emerged which, taken together, can better inform the approach to the prevention, detection and management of hypertension. The major findings (January, 2018-March, 2021) and their relevance to the management of hypertension are summarized in Table 7 . This new information has the potential to increase hypertension awareness, treatment and control which are bedrock for the prevention of CVD morbidity and mortality in the future.

Summary of Major Findings (January, 2018-March, 2021) and Relevance to the Management of Hypertension

ABPM, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; ACC, American College of Cardiology; AHA, American Heart Association; BP, blood pressure; HBPM, home blood pressure monitoring; MH, masked hypertension; TOD, target organ damage; WCH, white coat hypertension.

Supplementary Material

318083 online, sources of funding.

Dr. Carey is Principal Investigator and Project Director of an NIH Research Grant (R01-HL-128189) and Program Project Grant (P01-HL-074940), respectively. Dr. Wright is supported by a grants from the Ohio Department of Medicaid and Agency for Health Care Research & Quality (1U18HS027944-01). Dr. Taler is a staff physician at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN with no outside funding to disclose. Dr. Whelton was supported by a National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence award NIGMS P30-GM-109036.

Non-standard Abbreviations and Acronyms

Disclosures

Dr. Carey was Vice-Chair of the 2017

ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults Writing Committee, Chair of the AHA Scientific Statement on Resistant Hypertension Writing Committee and a Member of the 2019 AHA Scientific Statement on Measurement of Blood Pressure in Humans Writing Committee. . Dr. Wright was a member of the 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults Writing Committee and the 2019 AHA Scientific Statement on Measurement of Blood Pressure in Humans. Dr. Taler was a member of the 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults Writing Committee and a Member of the 2018 AHA Scientific Statement on Resistant Hypertension Writing Committee. Dr. Whelton was Chair of the SPRINT Steering Committee and Chair of the 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults.

New drug may help people with uncontrolled high blood pressure

An experimental drug could eventually offer hope to millions of people struggling with uncontrolled high blood pressure , new research has found.

Patients who took a daily dose of the drug, baxdrostat, were able to reduce their blood pressure substantially, compared to a people who got a placebo, according to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association annual meeting on Monday. The new type of oral medication works by targeting a hormone that regulates the amount of salt in the body.

Around 10 million people in the U.S. have a type of hypertension that puts them at increased risk of strokes and heart attacks, but doesn't respond to available medicines, study co-author Dr. Morris Brown, a professor of endocrine hypertension at the Queen Mary University of London, told NBC News.

Overall, 20% to 30% of adults experience high blood pressure , Brown said in an email. Uncontrolled hypertension accounts for 5% to 10% of all people with hypertension.

The reason some people don’t get help from commonly used medications is that their hypertension is largely caused by the hormone called aldosterone, which controls the amount of salt retained by the body. It is hard to directly reduce aldosterone because of its similarity to an essential hormone, cortisol, Brown said. The new medication gets around that problem by blocking an enzyme the body needs to produce aldosterone.

To test the safety and effectiveness of various doses of baxdrostat, Brown and his colleagues recruited 274 patients in the U.S. whose blood pressure was at least 130/80 mm Hg, despite being on at least three hypertension medications.

Hypertension is diagnosed when a person has a blood pressure of 130/80, while a systolic measurement of 120-129 mm Hg is considered to be “elevated.” A normal range is less than 120/80 mm Hg.

Participants in the phase 2 trial received one of three doses of the new drug or a placebo, along with the medications they were already taking. Those who received the highest dose of the medication saw their systolic blood pressure — the top number in the measure — drop an extraordinary 20 points during the study. Surprisingly, even the placebo-treated patients saw a reduction of 11 points.

The large improvement in the placebo patients is likely due to their being more scrupulous about taking their other medications, Brown said.

“The likelihood always is that people were not taking every tablet every day that they were meant to be,” he added. “But when they come into a study, they start taking their tablets more religiously.”

The new medication also appeared to be safe in the trial.

“No symptoms different from placebo effects emerged in this study, other than dizziness in a few patients when their blood pressure fell,” Brown said, adding that there was also a rise in potassium levels in two patients. While high potassium levels can lead to heart rhythm problems, “there were no subjects who were not able to finish the study because of a rise in potassium.”

Right now, many with resistant hypertension have to live with the consequences: an increased risk of stroke, heart attack and heart failure.

The trial not only proved the medication decreased blood pressure but that a higher dose decreased it even more, said cardiology specialist Dr. Johanna Contreras, director of the Ambulatory Heart Failure Network at the Mount Sinai Health System Network in New York City, who was not involved in the study. "And it’s just once a day. That’s great."

It’s unclear when the drug could be approved by the FDA.

The findings from the clinical trial suggest the drug "merits further exploration,” said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, chair of the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and the immediate past president of the American Heart Association. “It has a pretty big impact and looks promising. But it’s not ready to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration and it’s not ready for clinical prime time yet.”

There’s already a medication, spironolactone, that takes aim at the same pathway — that is, lowering the impact of aldosterone, said Lloyd-Jones, who was not involved in the study. That medication blocks the receptor for aldosterone, and while it’s effective it does have side effects, he added.

If this “pans out in phase 3 trials it could be an important addition” to the list of drugs we currently have, Lloyd-Jones said. For now, “I’m cautiously optimistic but we definitely need more data.”

The research is “important because it represents a new target for antihypertensive therapy,” said Dr. Nathaniel Smilowitz, an assistant professor of medicine at the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology at NYU Langone Health. Smilowitz was not involved in the study.

Still, even if it’s approved, it would mostly be for people with uncontrolled hypertension. For other patients, there are less expensive alternatives, Smilowitz said.

Linda Carroll is a regular health contributor to NBC News. She is coauthor of "The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic" and "Out of the Clouds: The Unlikely Horseman and the Unwanted Colt Who Conquered the Sport of Kings." 

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Guideline-Driven Management of Hypertension: An Evidence-Based Update

Affiliations.

• 1 Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville (R.M.C).
• 2 Department of Medicine, Case-Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH (J.T.W.).
• 3 Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN (S.J.T.).
• 4 Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA (P.K.W.).
• PMID: 33793326
• PMCID: PMC8034801
• DOI: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.318083

Several important findings bearing on the prevention, detection, and management of hypertension have been reported since publication of the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Blood Pressure Guideline. This review summarizes and places in context the results of relevant observational studies, randomized clinical trials, and meta-analyses published between January 2018 and March 2021. Topics covered include blood pressure measurement, patient evaluation for secondary hypertension, cardiovascular disease risk assessment and blood pressure threshold for drug therapy, lifestyle and pharmacological management, treatment target blood pressure goal, management of hypertension in older adults, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, resistant hypertension, and optimization of care using patient, provider, and health system approaches. Presenting new information in each of these areas has the potential to increase hypertension awareness, treatment, and control which remain essential for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the future.

Keywords: American Heart Association; antihypertensive agents; blood pressure; cardiovascular disease; hypertension; mortality.

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• The 2009 Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations for the management of hypertension: Part 2--therapy. Khan NA, Hemmelgarn B, Herman RJ, Bell CM, Mahon JL, Leiter LA, Rabkin SW, Hill MD, Padwal R, Touyz RM, Larochelle P, Feldman RD, Schiffrin EL, Campbell NR, Moe G, Prasad R, Arnold MO, Campbell TS, Milot A, Stone JA, Jones C, Ogilvie RI, Hamet P, Fodor G, Carruthers G, Burns KD, Ruzicka M, DeChamplain J, Pylypchuk G, Petrella R, Boulanger JM, Trudeau L, Hegele RA, Woo V, McFarlane P, Vallée M, Howlett J, Bacon SL, Lindsay P, Gilbert RE, Lewanczuk RZ, Tobe S; Canadian Hypertension Education Program. Khan NA, et al. Can J Cardiol. 2009 May;25(5):287-98. doi: 10.1016/s0828-282x(09)70492-1. Can J Cardiol. 2009. PMID: 19417859 Free PMC article. Review.
• The 2010 Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations for the management of hypertension: part 2 - therapy. Hackam DG, Khan NA, Hemmelgarn BR, Rabkin SW, Touyz RM, Campbell NR, Padwal R, Campbell TS, Lindsay MP, Hill MD, Quinn RR, Mahon JL, Herman RJ, Schiffrin EL, Ruzicka M, Larochelle P, Feldman RD, Lebel M, Poirier L, Arnold JM, Moe GW, Howlett JG, Trudeau L, Bacon SL, Petrella RJ, Milot A, Stone JA, Drouin D, Boulanger JM, Sharma M, Hamet P, Fodor G, Dresser GK, Carruthers SG, Pylypchuk G, Burgess ED, Burns KD, Vallée M, Prasad GV, Gilbert RE, Leiter LA, Jones C, Ogilvie RI, Woo V, McFarlane PA, Hegele RA, Tobe SW; Canadian Hypertension Education Program. Hackam DG, et al. Can J Cardiol. 2010 May;26(5):249-58. doi: 10.1016/s0828-282x(10)70379-2. Can J Cardiol. 2010. PMID: 20485689 Free PMC article. Review.
• Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults: Synopsis of the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Hypertension Guideline. Carey RM, Whelton PK; 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Guideline Writing Committee. Carey RM, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2018 Mar 6;168(5):351-358. doi: 10.7326/M17-3203. Epub 2018 Jan 23. Ann Intern Med. 2018. PMID: 29357392
• Hypertension Management in Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: Lessons from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial. Thomas G. Thomas G. Cardiol Clin. 2019 Aug;37(3):307-317. doi: 10.1016/j.ccl.2019.04.006. Epub 2019 May 8. Cardiol Clin. 2019. PMID: 31279424 Review.
• Resistant hypertension: diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Professional Education Committee of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research. Calhoun DA, Jones D, Textor S, Goff DC, Murphy TP, Toto RD, White A, Cushman WC, White W, Sica D, Ferdinand K, Giles TD, Falkner B, Carey RM; American Heart Association Professional Education Committee. Calhoun DA, et al. Circulation. 2008 Jun 24;117(25):e510-26. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.189141. Circulation. 2008. PMID: 18574054
• The acceptability and effectiveness of artificial intelligence-based chatbot for hypertensive patients in community: protocol for a mixed-methods study. Chen P, Li Y, Zhang X, Feng X, Sun X. Chen P, et al. BMC Public Health. 2024 Aug 21;24(1):2266. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19667-4. BMC Public Health. 2024. PMID: 39169305 Free PMC article.
• The Critical Role of Community Pharmacists in Blood Pressure Monitoring. Waszyk-Nowaczyk M, Jasińska-Stroschein M, Dymek J, Drozd M, Sierpniowska O, Stankiewicz A, Jędra A, Banach M, Gierlotka M, Jankowski P, Windak A, Osadnik T, Tomasik T, Wolf J, Guzenda W, Stryczyński Ł, Jóźwiak J. Waszyk-Nowaczyk M, et al. Med Sci Monit. 2024 Aug 15;30:e944657. doi: 10.12659/MSM.944657. Med Sci Monit. 2024. PMID: 39143725 Free PMC article. Review.
• Osteoarthritis and hypertension: observational and Mendelian randomization analyses. Yang ZJ, Liu Y, Liu YL, Qi B, Yuan X, Shi WX, Miao L. Yang ZJ, et al. Arthritis Res Ther. 2024 Apr 17;26(1):88. doi: 10.1186/s13075-024-03321-w. Arthritis Res Ther. 2024. PMID: 38632649 Free PMC article.
• Predictive characteristics and model development for acute heart failure preceding hip fracture surgery in elderly hypertensive patients: a retrospective machine learning approach. Yu Q, Fu M, Wang Z, Hou Z. Yu Q, et al. BMC Geriatr. 2024 Mar 28;24(1):296. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-04892-8. BMC Geriatr. 2024. PMID: 38549043 Free PMC article.
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Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Scientists discover over 100 new genomic regions linked to blood pressure

NIH-led study finds genetic markers that explain up to 12% of the differences between two people’s blood pressure.

National Institutes of Health researchers and collaborators have discovered over 100 new regions of the human genome, also known as genomic loci , that appear to influence a person’s blood pressure. Results of the study also point to several specific genomic loci that may be relevant to iron metabolism and a type of cellular receptor known as adrenergic receptors. 

The study, published in Nature Genetics, is one of the largest such genomic studies of blood pressure to date, including data from over 1 million participants and laying the groundwork for researchers to better understand how blood pressure is regulated. Such insights could point to potential new drug targets. 

“Our study helps explain a much larger proportion of the differences between two people’s blood pressure than was previously known,” said Jacob Keaton, Ph.D., staff scientist in the Precision Health Informatics Section within the National Human Genome Research Institute’s (NHGRI) Intramural Research Program and first author of the study. “Our study found additional genomic locations that together explain a much larger part of the genetic differences in people’s blood pressure. Knowing a person's risk for developing hypertension could lead to tailored treatments, which are more likely to be effective.” 

To understand the genetics of blood pressure, the researchers combined four large datasets from genome-wide association studies of blood pressure and hypertension. After analyzing the data, they found over 2,000 genomic loci linked to blood pressure, including 113 new regions. Among the newly discovered genomic loci, several reside in genes that play a role in iron metabolism, confirming previous reports that high levels of accumulated iron can contribute to cardiovascular disease.  

The researchers also confirmed the association between variants in the ADRA1A gene and blood pressure. ADRA1A encodes a type of cell receptor, called an adrenergic receptor, that is currently a target for blood pressure medication, suggesting that other genomic variants discovered in the study may also have the potential to be drug targets to alter blood pressure. 

"This study shows that these big genome-wide association studies have clinical relevance for finding new drug targets and are needed to discover more drug targets as we go forward,” said Dr. Keaton. 

From these analyses, the researchers were able to calculate a polygenic risk score, which combines the effects of all genomic variants together to predict blood pressure and risk for hypertension. These risk scores consider which genomic variants confer risk for hypertension and reveal clinically meaningful differences between people’s blood pressure. 

Polygenic risk scores have potential to serve as a useful tool in precision medicine, but more diverse genomic data is needed for them to be applicable broadly in routine health care. While the collected data was mostly from people of European ancestry (due to limited availability of diverse datasets when the study was started), the researchers found that the polygenic risk scores were also applicable to people of African ancestry, which was confirmed through analyzing data from NIH’s All of Us Research Program, a nationwide effort to build one of the largest biomedical data resources and accelerate research to improve human health. 

Nearly half of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, known as hypertension. High blood pressure often runs in families, meaning that there is a genetic component to developing the condition in addition to environmental contributions such as a high-salt diet, lack of exercise, smoking and stress. When blood pressure is consistently too high, it can damage the heart and blood vessels throughout the body, increasing a person’s risk for heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and other conditions.  

The project was led by researchers at NHGRI in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and other institutions, as part of the International Consortium of Blood Pressure. Over 140 investigators from more than 100 universities, institutes and government agencies contributed to this international study. 

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The NHGRI Division of Intramural Research develops and implements technology to understand, diagnose and treat genomic and genetic diseases. Additional information about NHGRI can be found at: https://www.genome.gov/ .

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov .

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health ®

Keaton et al. “Genome-wide analysis in over 1 million individuals of European ancestry yields improved polygenic risk scores for blood pressure traits. ”  Nature Genetics . DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01714-w

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NIH-supported research helps shape the future of blood pressure measurement

Pipeline of smart technologies could expand detection of hypertension, save lives

It’s the drill at the start of virtually every doctor or hospital visit: having your blood pressure measured. A technician straps a cuff to your upper arm and tightly inflates it. The beeps begin as a machine generates numbers. The cuff slowly deflates. The tech announces the all-important readings.

For some, the experience can be unsettling—not simply because of increased pressure on the arm, but because of the nervous anticipation of what the numbers will tell.

Yet for more than a century, this bulky arm-cuff device—formally known as a sphygmomanometer—has been the gold standard for detecting hypertension, a treatable disease that affects half of the adult population in the United States and is the leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease.

But things are changing—and fast.

Researchers supported by the NIH are helping develop new and improved monitoring devices in a stepped-up effort to stem the epidemic rates of uncontrolled hypertension. They include a new wave of electronics—from skin patches to smartwatches—that can easily be used at home. And that’s good news, as recent studies show some of these devices can provide more reliable and informative readings than those taken in clinics and help significantly reduce a person’s chances of stroke and heart disease. “In the U.S., less than half of people with high blood pressure have it under control,” said David Goff, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at NHLBI. “Given the poor level of control, it’s time to test creative approaches to preventing the development of hypertension and improving control. Technologies that empower patients to be more involved in monitoring their blood pressure are promising approaches that might benefit from more research and development.” Better blood pressure devices that are less intrusive, faster, easier to use, and affordable could help improve blood pressure control, researchers say. At-home devices can also overcome challenges such as “white coat syndrome,” a condition that affects people who are so anxious about being in a medical setting that their blood pressure registers higher than it would in a normal setting. Finally, some devices may be able to facilitate continuous monitoring of blood pressure, which researchers say is important because blood pressure varies throughout the day and from one day to the next.    But while these new devices may be a potential improvement over the standard ones, they come with their own challenges. One is accuracy validation. A recent study showed that most home blood pressure monitors currently on the market have not been validated for accuracy by a testing agency that does not have ties to any manufacturer. Another hurdle is implementation—how to get the new devices into the community in a way that is effective, affordable, and sustainable in routine daily care and practice. But researchers are optimistic these challenges can be met over time as they continue testing the devices and consumers seek to take charge of their health. “You have to know your blood pressure numbers,” said George Mensah, M.D., Director of the Center for Translation Research & Implementation Science at NHLBI. “And we have to take steps to improve those numbers.” This call to action, he said, is important for all men and women but particularly for African American men, who have the highest hypertension-related stroke and heart disease death rates of any racial or ethnic group in the country.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the technologies that are in the works: Finger pressing

Ramakrishna Mukkamala, Ph.D., a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Michigan State University, is leading a team of scientists that developed, with partial funding from NHLBI, smartphone-based devices that can monitor blood pressure using the pressure of a person’s index finger. It works like this:  A person steadily presses his or her index finger on the phone. Guided by an animated cursor on the phone screen, the user keeps pressing until prompted to lift the finger. Optical and force sensors in the phone then combine to translate the arterial pressure from the fingertip into a blood pressure reading in millimeters of mercury, just like the standard reading from a blood pressure cuff. The reading shows up on your phone, and the whole process takes place in less than half a minute. A normal blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The top number—known as systolic pressure— measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats, while the bottom number— known as diastolic pressure—measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats.  

In early tests on a few dozen people, the device performed just as accurately as an FDA-approved device called a volume-clamp, which uses a special cuff on a finger, but somewhat less accurately than a conventional arm-cuff device. “We want to develop truly cuff-less devices that are accurate and readily accessible,” Mukkamala said, noting that other cuff-less devices require cuff measurements periodically to give blood pressure in mm Hg. The devices could be on the market in a few years, he said. The sensors can be inserted in an add-on phone case or integrated into the existing architecture of a cell phone, while some phones already have the necessary sensors.  The researcher hopes to eventually turn the device into a complete hypertension management system, one that uses an alarm to warn users if they have high blood pressure or sends them a text to remind users when to take their blood pressure medication. The system also shows promise for addressing high rates of hypertension in developing areas of the world, where smartphone use is growing, Mukkamala said. Ultrasound patch In 2017, a research team funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) developed a noninvasive skin patch that can be worn on the neck for continuous measurement of blood pressure. Unlike conventional devices that measure peripheral blood pressure through arteries in the arm, the patch measures central blood pressure—the flow of blood from the heart through the carotid arteries in the neck. Doctors consider measurements taken from this area to be a more accurate predictor of developing heart problems, including heart attacks. This wearable patch can also measure blood pressure at other parts of the body including the arm, wrist, and foot.

The prototype device, which is made of a thin sheet of silicone polymer integrated with an array of tiny electronic parts, measures blood pressure through ultrasound , or high-frequency sound waves. The patch, which is the size of a postage stamp, is soft and can bend and twist in the presence of motion. It sends and picks up reflecting sound waves from the pulsing blood vessels in the neck and translates them into signals that are read by customized software in an external device that is wired to the patch. It is ideal for use in the ICU and operating room, the researchers said.

 In early studies, the skin patch measurements were better than or comparable to those made by other instruments now used in the clinic to measure central blood pressure. Researchers hope to develop the patch into a completely wireless device in the future.  “Our patch represents a step toward precision medicine for monitoring blood pressure and managing and preventing acute and chronic cardiovascular diseases,” said Sheng Xu, Ph.D., study leader and an assistant professor of nanoengineering at the University of California San Diego in La Jolla. “The continuous data stream generated is unique for each subject, and that allows physicians and other healthcare providers to design specific regimens for that specific patient.” Smartwatch One of the most sought-after pieces of real estate for blood pressure monitoring is the wrist, which means the ever-popular smartwatch continues to be transformed in even more functional ways. 

In another project funded by NIBIB, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology developed a smartwatch that measures blood pressure by recording chest vibrations produced by the heartbeat. Called a SeismoWatch, it looks like any other smartwatch and contains miniature motion sensors.

To work it, you hold the watch up to your chest, and sensors in the watch detect micro-vibrations of the chest wall associated with the heartbeat. As pressure waves move along the artery walls from the heart to the wrist, an accelerometer and optical sensor on the watch measure the signals to estimate blood pressure. The whole process takes about 10 to 15 seconds.  

So far, the researchers have tested the prototype on about 50 people, some in the lab and some at home, with results comparable to some conventional blood pressure devices. Although the prototype is externally wired to a monitor and contains no readable watch face, the researchers say the future version can be engineered to be wireless and have a readout like a regular smartwatch.

“Our hope is that the SeismoWatch will become an affordable, reliable tool for blood pressure measurement in medically underserved minority populations, where rates of hypertension are very high,” said study leader Omer Inan, Ph.D., an associate professor at the university.  NHLBI’s Mensah said he would welcome that. “Any of these innovative devices that are affordable, reliable, and easy to use will go a long way in helping us detect high blood pressure and inform our actions to control this silent killer,” he said. While this new crop of measurement devices is being refined, doctors and researchers urge everybody to act now to reduce their risk of hypertension by limiting sodium intake, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, taking medicines as prescribed, stopping smoking, limiting alcohol, and seeing their doctors on a regular basis. People are also encouraged to measure their blood pressure regularly.

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Daily 'breath training' can work as well as medicine to reduce high blood pressure

Allison Aubrey

Simply improving our breathing can significantly lower high blood pressure at any age. Recent research finds that just five to 10 minutes daily of exercises that strengthen the diaphragm and certain other muscles does the trick. SciePro/Getty Images/Max Posner/NPR hide caption

Simply improving our breathing can significantly lower high blood pressure at any age. Recent research finds that just five to 10 minutes daily of exercises that strengthen the diaphragm and certain other muscles does the trick.

It's well known that weightlifting can strengthen our biceps and quads. Now, there's accumulating evidence that strengthening the muscles we use to breathe is beneficial too. New research shows that a daily dose of muscle training for the diaphragm and other breathing muscles helps promote heart health and reduces high blood pressure.

"The muscles we use to breathe atrophy, just like the rest of our muscles tend to do as we get older," explains researcher Daniel Craighead , an integrative physiologist at the University of Colorado Boulder. To test what happens when these muscles are given a good workout, he and his colleagues recruited healthy volunteers ages 18 to 82 to try a daily five-minute technique using a resistance-breathing training device called PowerBreathe . The hand-held machine — one of several on the market — looks like an inhaler. When people breathe into it, the device provides resistance, making it harder to inhale.

How it works

"We found that doing 30 breaths per day for six weeks lowers systolic blood pressure by about 9 millimeters of mercury ," Craighead says. And those reductions are about what could be expected with conventional aerobic exercise, he says — such as walking, running or cycling.

A normal blood pressure reading is less than about 120/80 mmHg, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . These days, some health care professionals diagnose patients with high blood pressure if their average reading is consistently 130/80 mmHg or higher, the CDC notes.

Shots - Health News

How the 'lost art' of breathing can impact sleep and resilience.

The impact of a sustained 9 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure (the first number in the ratio) is significant, says Michael Joyner , a physician at the Mayo Clinic who studies how the nervous system regulates blood pressure. "That's the type of reduction you see with a blood pressure drug," Joyner says. Research has shown many common blood pressure medications lead to about a 9 mmHg reduction . The reductions are higher when people combine multiple medications, but a 10 mmHg reduction correlates with a 35% drop in the risk of stroke and a 25% drop in the risk of heart disease.

The training helps prevent high blood pressure too

"I think it's promising," Joyner says about the prospects of integrating strength training for the respiratory muscles into preventive care. It could be beneficial for people who are unable to do traditional aerobic exercise, he says, and the simplicity is appealing, too, given people can easily use the device at home.

"Taking a deep, resisted, breath offers a new and unconventional way to generate the benefits of exercise and physical activity," Joyner concluded in an editorial that was published alongside a prior study in the Journal of the American Heart Association .

Your body has a built-in stress reliever: Just breathe

So, how exactly does breath training lower blood pressure? Craighead points to the role of endothelial cells, which line our blood vessels and promote the production of nitric oxide — a key compound that protects the heart. Nitric oxide helps widen our blood vessels, promoting good blood flow, which prevents the buildup of plaque in arteries. "What we found was that six weeks of IMST [inspiratory-muscle strength training] will increase endothelial function by about 45%," Craighead explains.

Good for all ages, and could help athletes' endurance

It has long been known that deep diaphragmatic breathing — often used during meditation or mindfulness practices — can help lower blood pressure too. Muscle training with the PowerBreathe device works in a similar way, engaging the breathing muscles and promoting the production of nitric oxide. The particular helpfulness of the IMST device, Craighead says, is that it requires less time to get the benefit because the small machine adds the resistance that gives the muscles a good workout. His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The new study builds on the prior study and adds to the evidence that IMST — which is essentially strength training for the respiratory muscles — is beneficial for adults of all ages. "We were surprised to see how ubiquitously effective IMST is at lowering blood pressure," Craighead says. Before the results came in, he'd suspected that young, healthy adults might not benefit as much. "But we saw robust effects," he says, pointing to a significant decline in blood pressure for participants of all ages. He says the finding suggests IMST could help healthy young people prevent heart disease and the rise in blood pressure that tends to occur with aging.

There may also be benefits for elite cyclists, runners and other endurance athletes, he says, citing data that six weeks of IMST increased aerobic exercise tolerance by 12% in middle-aged and older adults.

"So we suspect that IMST consisting of only 30 breaths per day would be very helpful in endurance exercise events," Craighead says. It's a technique that athletes could add to their training regimens. Craighead, whose personal marathon best is 2 hours, 21 minutes, says he has incorporated IMST as part of his own training.

The technique is not intended to replace exercise, he cautions, or to replace medication for people whose blood pressure is so elevated that they're at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Instead, Craighead says, "it would be a good additive intervention for people who are doing other healthy lifestyle approaches already."

This is the way Theresa D. Hernandez, 61, sees the breathing exercises. She lives in Boulder, has a family history of high blood pressure and participated in the Colorado research. When the study began, she had blood pressure readings near the threshold at which doctors recommend medications.

"It was a surprise that something as simple could be so profound in terms of its impact," says Hernandez of the six weeks of breathing exercises. "It took my blood pressure to under the threshold so that I would not need to take medication," she says.

Her blood pressure dropped significantly, and she says she plans to stick with it — five minutes every day.

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New research suggests boosting potassium is key for blood pressure control

by George Institute for Global Health

While reducing salt intake has been the focus of dietary advice to control high blood pressure (hypertension), a new study suggests that upping your potassium intake can be at least as important.

The new research, published today (Feb. 21) in the Journal of Human Hypertension , provides insight into the central role of potassium in managing a condition that kills more than 11 million people every year.

Lead author Dr. Liping Huang, Research Fellow at The George Institute, said that the effects on blood pressure of both dietary sodium and dietary potassium have both been known for a long time. But only with recent work on potassium-enriched salt substitutes has the huge potential for increasing dietary potassium become a focus.

"High levels of sodium intake and low levels of potassium intake are widespread, and both are linked to high blood pressure and greater risk of stroke, heart disease and premature death," she said.

"Using a salt substitute where part of the sodium chloride is replaced with potassium chloride addresses both problems at once. But the relative contributions of sodium reduction versus potassium supplementation were not well understood."

Researchers analyzed data from The George Institute's large-scale randomized trial, the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS), which involved 20,995 participants followed for five years. The study showed clear reductions in the risk of stroke (14%), major cardiovascular events (13%) and premature death (12%) from switching regular salt for potassium-enriched salt.

The researchers based their analyses on the "gold standard" measure of sodium and potassium in the urine of trial participants. These data were combined with other external data sources that describe the dose-response relationships between changes in sodium, potassium and blood pressure. They used a range of different data sets and different methods to double-check their findings.

They found that the supplementary potassium accounted for between 61% and 88% of the blood pressure lowering effects recorded in the trial. In every case, the results indicated that the majority of the blood pressure fall was attributable to the increase in dietary potassium rather than the fall in dietary sodium.

"We have always known that potassium has a role to play in blood pressure control, but until we did these analyses, we didn't realize just how important it could be," Dr. Huang said. "The findings in this study may be particularly pronounced because people started at low levels of potassium consumption, but there are probably billions of people around the world with similar consumption levels," she added.

Potassium is an essential mineral found in a variety of whole foods, including legumes, nuts, leafy green vegetables and fruits such as bananas, kiwis and dates. High levels of potassium are one of the reasons fresh fruits and vegetables are so good for you. Food processing tends to reduce the amount of potassium in products, and it is often replaced by sodium—a cheaper ingredient.

Current dietary guidelines recommend a potassium intake of more than 3.5 g/day, but a recent study found global mean potassium intake was just 2.25 g/day, with only 35% of the global population estimated to achieve this target. It also showed that none of the included 52 countries reported combined intakes of sodium and potassium that met World Health Organization targets.

Dr. Huang said that the number of people living with hypertension had doubled in the past 30 years to about 1.3 billion and it kills around 20 people every minute.

"People find it hard to stick to dietary changes recommended to reduce sodium and increase potassium," she said.

"Salt substitutes are particularly interesting in this regard, because most people can make the switch to potassium-enriched salt without much difficulty—in our SSaSS trial more than 90% of participants assigned to use the salt substitute were still using it five years on."

"With potassium-enriched salt substitutes, we have a highly feasible and low-cost opportunity to generate a massive global health benefit," Dr. Huang added.

The weight of the evidence has prompted a call to include recommendations on low-sodium potassium-enriched salt in hypertension treatment guidelines published by an international group of experts last month in the journal Hypertension .

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High Blood Pressure: Prevention, Treatment and Research

Reviewed By:

Roger Scott Blumenthal, M.D. 

Michael Joseph Blaha, M.D. M.P.H.

We all have “blood pressure.” This simply refers to the way blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps. However, one in three American adults have a potentially dangerous condition known as high blood pressure, also called hypertension. For those with high blood pressure, blood moves more forcefully through the arteries than it should.

It’s normal for blood pressure to increase when you exercise or are under stress. But when the pressure is too high even when you’re at rest, and stays too high for too long, it can stretch and damage your arteries. The resulting health problems from high blood pressure can include heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney damage, vision loss, and memory loss and cognitive decline.

Following a healthy lifestyle is considered the best way to maintain blood pressure within the recommended range. How to do it:

Keep your weight healthy. The higher your body mass index (BMI), the greater your odds of developing high blood pressure. Learn your BMI from your doctor and aim for the normal range of weight for your height.

Track your blood pressure. “Take your blood pressure at home often and bring a blood pressure log of your readings to the doctor,” suggests Blaha. It’s especially important to have it checked often if you’re over age 40, overweight, sedentary, or have a family history of heart disease or high blood pressure.

Eat heart-healthy foods. That means a diet high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean protein, and low in sodium and alcohol. Get practical ideas to eat for heart health in Eat Smart .

Get, or stay, fit. Being active helps keep weight in check and reduces your odds of many different heart problems.

Don’t smoke, or, if you do now, quit. Smoking damages blood vessels.

Learn healthy ways to manage stress. Many people find yoga , meditation , music and tai chi helpful.

A blood pressure reading has two numbers: systolic (“sis-TOL-ick,” the first or top number in a reading) and diastolic (“dye-a-STOL-ick,” the second or bottom number in a reading). Systolic pressure is the force of the blood against the artery walls when the heart contracts to pump blood. Systolic pressure is always the higher number. Diastolic pressure is the pressure against the arteries between heartbeats, as the heart relaxes. The unit of measurement is in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

Optimal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg (referred to as “120 over 80”) or below. High blood pressure is defined for adults as systolic pressure above 140 or diastolic pressure above 90. Generally, a diagnosis of high blood pressure results when you have high readings on three different occasions during a single week. Some people’s blood pressure is changeable, and others have what’s called “white coat hypertension”—higher readings as a result of feeling stressed in a doctor’s office, says Blaha. You may be asked to wear a portable blood pressure monitor to get an accurate reading.

Move more. A good guideline: Aim for 30 minutes a day of aerobic exercise (fast walking, running, swimming) on most days of the week. If you’re new to exercise, get your doctor’s OK before you start a workout program.

Quit smoking. Talk to your doctor about support programs that can help.

Take medications as prescribed. Because drugs for high blood pressure work in different ways, you may be prescribed more than one.

Living With...

Controlling your blood pressure is a long-term effort. Once diagnosed, most people need lifetime treatment. The payoff, though, is improved overall health and a reduced risk of serious heart problems, such as stroke and heart attack. In addition to following healthy lifestyle habits:

Let your doctor know immediately if you notice any side effects from blood pressure medications. Take medications as directed and never discontinue use without consulting your doctor.

Know the warning signs of too-high blood pressure. In most cases the condition is symptomless, but in extreme cases of dangerously high blood pressure, a person may develop ringing in the ears, dizziness, headaches, nosebleeds, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, drowsiness or confusion.

Learn how to take your blood pressure at home. It’s easy to learn, devices are readily available at pharmacies and elsewhere, and your doctor can show you how, says Blaha.

Johns Hopkins researchers and clinicians continue to explore ways to prevent and manage high blood pressure and its effects. Among their noteworthy research:

Antihypertensive drugs may help preserve cognitive function in people with high blood pressure. Johns Hopkins researchers led a study showing that hypertension in midlife raises the odds of memory problems in old age. When treated early, though, this risk may drop.

Higher weight and weight gain raises the risk of high blood pressure. This is especially true from young adulthood through midlife. A Johns Hopkins study helped to solidify the link between high body mass index and high blood pressure.

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Hypertension articles from across Nature Portfolio

Hypertension is high blood pressure. It is generally defined in adults as systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 140mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 90mmHg. Rarely associated with obvious symptoms, hypertension can result in heart disease, vascular disease, stroke and/or chronic kidney disease

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Taking Your Blood Pressure in This Position May Be More Accurate, Study Finds

Experts explain if you should try this at home.

• A new study finds the traditional way of taking blood pressure may not give accurate results.
• Researchers discovered that some people only had high blood pressure while lying down.
• Doctors say that incorrect blood pressure readings can lead to over- or under-treatment.

For years, major medical associations have recommended taking your blood pressure in the same position—seated, with your feet on the ground. But new research suggests taking your blood pressure while lying down flat on your back, a.k.a. supine, might yield more accurate results.

The study, which was presented at the American Heart Association (AHA)’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2023, followed more than 11,000 American adults and found that those who had high blood pressure both while seated upright and while lying flat on their backs had a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, heart failure, or premature death compared to those without high blood pressure when they were seated upright and while lying down.

While this is not necessarily shocking, the researchers also found that adults who had high blood pressure while lying flat on their backs, but not while they were seated, had similar risks of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or premature death as adults who had high blood pressure in both positions.

Adding to this, the researchers found that 16% of those in the study who didn’t have high blood pressure when they were seated had high blood pressure readings in a supine position (a.k.a. lying down).

This raises a lot of questions about the best way to take your blood pressure. So, should you consider taking yours while you lie down? Here’s the deal.

What is a high blood pressure reading?

Blood pressure is the measure of the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Having high blood pressure raises your risk of developing health problems like heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

High blood pressure is usually defined as having a reading of 130/80 mm Hg, per the AHA . However, the CDC points out that some healthcare providers diagnose patients with high blood pressure if it’s consistently 140/90 mm Hg, which was the previous cut-off for high blood pressure before it was lowered in 2017. (This study used the updated 130/80 metric.)

Why is accuracy important with blood pressure readings?

Your blood pressure varies throughout the day and depending on what you’re doing, which is why it’s often recommended that you track yours at home over time if you have a higher reading at a doctor’s office, says Thomas Boyden, M.D., medical director for preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at Corewell Health. “Blood pressure readings in a physician’s office as well as blood pressure readings at home are important in understanding how well-controlled an individual’s blood pressure is,” he says.

Blood pressure readings will often dictate steps your healthcare provider will take to treat you properly. If yours is incorrect, it could lead to “overtreatment,” Dr. Boyden says, which could then cause you to take medication you don’t need. On the flip side, having a reading that’s lower than what it should be may mean you’re not treated enough, which raises your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and more serious health issues, per Dr. Boyden.

If you’re being monitored for high blood pressure, doctors will often take more than one reading or encourage you to take several at home. “We typically suggest taking three blood pressure readings separated by two to three minutes and recording the last one,” Dr. Boyden says. But if you’re not being monitored for high blood pressure, you’ll often just get one reading taken at your doctor’s office and that’s it.

“If blood pressure is only measured while people are seated upright, cardiovascular disease risk may be missed if not measured also while they are lying supine on their backs,” lead study author Duc M. Giao, a researcher and a fourth-year M.D. student at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said in a statement.

Why might taking blood pressure readings lying down be more accurate?

Your autonomic nervous system regulates your blood pressure when you’re in different positions, but gravity may cause your blood to pool when you’re seated or upright, the study’s authors explained. Your body is also sometimes not able to regulate your blood pressure when you’re lying, seated, or standing, which can throw your numbers out of whack.

“Blood pressure can drop when we sit or stand up, as compared to lying down,” says Jennifer Wong, M.D. , a board-certified cardiologist and medical director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. “The study results suggest that if we only rely on the sitting up blood pressure we typically measure, we might miss the folks who have elevated resting blood pressure because there can be that drop when they’re seated and standing.”

People are usually relaxed when they’re lying down, given that it’s linked to sleeping and lounging, Dr. Wong points out, and that can give a good measure of what their blood pressure is like when it should be at its lowest. “It’s important to check for elevated blood pressure when we’re relaxed,” she adds.

Should you take your blood pressure lying down, too?

The AHA currently recommends taking your blood pressure while seated in a chair, with both feet on the floor, and there’s no indication that the organization plans to change those recommendations based on the results of this one study.

However, Dr. Wong says it’s not the worst idea to consider checking your blood pressure while you’re lying down if you have concerns. “If we’re worried about missing high blood pressure in a person who always has readings within range sitting up, I suggest that they check it when lying down to make sure they’re not missing high blood pressure,” she says.

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