Making Sense of Hypertension Guidelines

Hypertension is a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes and is a predisposing risk factor for most cardiovascular chronic illnesses. The risk for major cardiovascular events drops significantly when guideline-based blood pressure targets are achieved. Several different societies and organizations have released guidelines during the past 6 years, and significant clinical trial data have been recently released. Here, we summarize existing guidelines and recent pertinent clinical trial data to assist practitioners in identifying optimal treatment strategies for the successful management of hypertension.