The new hypertension guidelines

Ralph H Stern1

  • 1Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.

Insights

The Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP) provides annual, evidence-based guidelines for diagnosing and treating hypertension. This review covers the CHEP guideline development process and the 2013 recommendations for blood pressure management.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Internal Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP) has issued annual guidelines since 2000.
  • These guidelines serve as a model for concise, comprehensive, and evidence-based hypertension management for physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the CHEP guideline development process.
  • To provide an overview of the 2013 CHEP hypertension recommendations.

Main Methods:

  • Review of the CHEP guideline development methodology.
  • Summary of key recommendations from the 2013 CHEP guidelines.

Main Results:

  • The CHEP guidelines cover blood pressure measurement, hypertension definition, secondary hypertension, and treatment targets.
  • Specific recommendations address medication choices for diverse patient populations.

Conclusions:

  • The CHEP process ensures up-to-date, evidence-rated guidelines for hypertension care.
  • The 2013 recommendations offer practical guidance for clinical practice.

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