World Health Organization launches new guidelines on pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults.
Full guidelines click here.
On 25th August 2021 the WHO launched new guidance for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults. Dr. Taskeen Khan, of the WHO Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, who led the guideline development, said, “The new global guideline on the treatment of hypertension, the first in 20 years, provides the most current and relevant evidence based global public health guidance on the initiation of treatment (with pharmacological agents) for hypertension in adults.” The recommendations focus on the level of blood pressure to start medication for hypertension, the target blood pressure level for successful treatment, how often to have follow up checks on blood pressure, and who in the health system can provide treatment.
The primary audiences for the guidelines are clinicians and health-care providers at all levels of health care. Secondary audiences are national NCD/CVD programme managers, health-care academics, policy-makers setting practice recommendations, students, and hypertension medicine manufacturers.
The availability of treatment should be complemented by other measures, such as: promoting healthier diets and regular physical activity; more strictly controlling tobacco products; and identifying and treating comorbidities such as diabetes and pre-existing heart disease.
WHL President Dr. Xin-Hua Zhang commented on the guidelines, "The WHO new guideliness encourage initiating treatment of diagnosed hypertension before having lab test and risk assessment. These recommendations will speed up hypertension control and coverage globally". WHL Pres.-Elect Dr. Paul D. Whelton, who contributed to the guidelines, noted "These guidelines provide structured recommendations for the pharmacological management of hypertension. They are based on a rigorous interpretation of the available evidence and will be especially useful in middle- and low-income countries. I support the guidelines recommendations with high enthusiasm and hope they will facilitate control of hypertension globally." Dr. Gianfranco Parati, WHL Secretary-General, stated “These guidelines offer guidance on some controversial issues, such as when to start treatment and whether laboratory testing and cardiovascular risk assessment are needed prior to starting treatment. Such guidance is provided from a global perspective, and will have specific relevance to low- and middle-income countries, with the possibility for nonphysician professionals, such as pharmacists and nurses, to be directly involved in hypertension treatment after adequate training, specific management protocols and physician oversight.”
