This 2024 brings the 2018 ESC/European Society of Hypertension (ESH) Guidelines on arterial hypertension management up to date. The current document builds on earlier guidelines and includes key updates and fresh recommendations based on the latest evidence. Here are some examples:
The writers of the 2024 Guidelines aimed to make them easier to use. They got general practitioner’s (GPs) feedback to achieve this, and one GP serves on the task force.
- The title has changed from ‘Guidelines on the management of arterial hypertension‘ to ‘Guidelines on the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension. This change stems from proof that the risk for heart and blood vessel disease linked to blood pressure follows a steady scale of exposure, not a simple split between normal pressure and high pressure.
- The 2024 Guidelines still define hypertension as office systolic BP of ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP of ≥90 mmHg. But they now include a new BP category called ‘Elevated BP’. This new category refers to an office systolic BP of 120–139 mmHg or diastolic BP of 70–89 mmHg.
- The 2024 Guidelines make a big change based on evidence. They now suggest aiming for a target systolic BP of 120–129 mmHg in adults taking BP-lowering medications. This recommendation comes with several key points to keep in mind.
- The 2024 Guidelines bring a big shift from earlier versions. They now focus more on proof related to deadly and non-deadly CVD outcomes instead of just stand-in outcomes like lowering BP. For a Class I recommendation on drugs or procedures, the guidelines now demand evidence of benefits to CVD outcomes, not just BP reduction. This rule doesn’t apply to lifestyle changes and low-risk non-drug interventions that aim to improve how care is given or put into practice.
- The task force had an even mix of men and women.
- These guidelines view sex and gender as key parts throughout the document, not just in a separate section at the end. Here, sex means the biological state of being female or male from conception based on genes. Gender refers to the social and cultural aspects of being a woman or man in a society. This includes gender roles, norms, identity, and relationships that are accepted in that society at a specific time.
- Guidelines assess and sum up available evidence to help health professionals suggest the best way to diagnose or treat a patient with a specific condition. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) creates these guidelines for health professionals to use and makes them available at no cost.
https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093
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