Hypertension Management Guidelines Update and Research on the Importance of Blood Pressure Control

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 65 million adults in America have hypertension (HTN) and fewer than half of those 65 million people have their blood pressure (BP) under control. More than 1,000 deaths occur each day related to HTN and Americans are at an increased risk of complications related to uncontrolled BP such as heart failure, stroke, myocardial infarction, and kidney disease (). Data from the National Home and Hospice Survey, which is conducted by the CDC, indicate that 41% of home care patients have HTN (). This research brief column profiles four recently published articles on HTN. The first discusses the most recent guidelines for managing HTN, which were released in early 2014. The second article describes the success of an intensive structured HTN medication management and management protocol. The third and fourth briefs describe studies investigating the ongoing risk of HTN poststroke.