Abstract-The National High Blood Pressure Education Program presents the complete Seventh Report of the JointNational Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Like its predecessors, the purpose is to provide an evidence-based approach to the prevention and management of hypertension. The key messages of this report are these: in those older than age 50, systolic blood pressure (BP) of greater than 140 mm Hg is a more important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor than diastolic BP; beginning at 115/75 mm Hg, CVD risk doubles for each increment of 20/10 mm Hg; those who are normotensive at 55 years of age will have a 90% lifetime risk of developing hypertension; prehypertensive individuals (systolic BP 120 -139 mm Hg or diastolic BP 80 -89 mm Hg) require health-promoting lifestyle modifications to prevent the progressive rise in blood pressure and CVD; for uncomplicated hypertension, thiazide diuretic should be used in drug treatment for most, either alone or combined with drugs from other classes; this report delineates specific high-risk conditions that are compelling indications for the use of other antihypertensive drug classes (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers); two or more antihypertensive medications will be required to achieve goal BP (Ͻ140/90 mm Hg, or Ͻ130/80 mm Hg) for patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease; for patients whose BP is more than 20 mm Hg above the systolic BP goal or more than 10 mm Hg above the diastolic BP goal, initiation of therapy using two agents, one of which usually will be a thiazide diuretic, should be considered; regardless of therapy or care, hypertension will be controlled only if patients are motivated to stay on their treatment plan. Positive experiences, trust in the clinician, and empathy improve patient motivation and satisfaction. This report serves as a guide, and the committee continues to recognize that the responsible physician's judgment remains paramount.

No abstract

These guidelines have been written to provide a straightforward approach to managing hypertension in the community. We have intended that this brief curriculum and set of recommendations be useful not only for primary care physicians and medical students, but for all professionals who work as hands-on practitioners.We are aware that there is a great variability in access to medical care among communities. Even in so-called wealthy countries, there are sizable communities in which economic, logistic, and geographic issues put constraints on medical care. And, at the same time, we are been reminded that even in countries with highly limited resources, medical leaders have assigned the highest priority to supporting their colleagues in confronting the growing toll of devastating strokes, cardiovascular events, and kidney failure caused by hypertension.Our goal has been to give sufficient information to enable healthcare practitioners, wherever they are located, to provide professional care for people with hypertension. All the same, we recognize that it will often not be possible to carry out all of our suggestions for clinical evaluation, tests, and therapies. Indeed, there are situations in which the most simple and empirical care for hypertensionsimply distributing whatever antihypertensive drugs might be available to people with high blood pressure -is better than doing nothing at all. We hope that we have allowed sufficient flexibility in this statement to enable responsible clinicians to devise workable plans for providing the best possible care of hypertension in their communities.We have divided this brief document into the following sections:1. General introduction 2. Epidemiology 3. Special issues with black patients (African ancestry) 4. How is hypertension defined? 5. How is hypertension classified? 6. Causes of hypertension 7. Making the diagnosis of hypertension 8. Evaluating the patient 9. Physical examination 10. Tests

These guidelines have been written to provide a straightforward approach to managing hypertension in the community. We have intended that this brief curriculum and set of recommendations be useful not only for primary care physicians and medical students, but for all professionals who work as hands-on practitioners.We are aware that there is great variability in access to medical care among communities. Even in so-called wealthy countries there are sizable communities in which economic, logistic, and geographic issues put constraints on medical care. And, at the same time, we are been reminded that even in countries with highly limited resources, medical leaders have assigned the highest priority to supporting their colleagues in confronting the growing toll of devastating strokes, cardiovascular events, and kidney failure caused by hypertension.Our goal has been to give sufficient information to enable health care practitioners, wherever they are located, to provide professional care for people with hypertension. All the same, we recognize that it will often not be possible to carry out all of our suggestions for clinical evaluation, tests, and therapies. Indeed, there are situations where the most simple and empirical care for hypertension-simply distributing whatever antihypertensive drugs might be available to people with high blood pressure-is better than doing nothing at all. We hope that we have allowed sufficient flexibility in this statement to enable responsible clinicians to devise workable plans for providing the best possible care for patients with hypertension in their communities.We have divided this brief document into the following sections:

Among men, race and age have an important effect on the response to single-drug therapy for hypertension. In addition to cost and quality of life, these factors should be considered in the initial choice of a drug.

Context.-Renin profiling and age-race subgroup may help select single-drug therapy for stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension. Objective.-To compare the plasma renin profiling and age-race subgroup methods as predictors of response to single-drug therapy in men with stage 1 and 2 hypertension as defined by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Design.-The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study on Single-Drug Therapy of Hypertension, a randomized controlled trial. Setting.-Fifteen Veterans Affairs hypertension centers. Patients.-A total of 1105 ambulatory men with entry diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 95 to 109 mm Hg, of whom 1031 had valid plasma and urine samples for renin profiling. Interventions.-Randomization to 1 of 6 antihypertensive drugs: hydrochlorothiazide, atenolol, captopril, clonidine, diltiazem (sustained release), or prazosin. Main Outcome Measure.-Treatment response as assessed by percentage achieving goal DBP (Ͻ90 mm Hg) in response to a single drug that corresponded to patients' renin profile vs a single drug that corresponded to patients' age-race subgroup. Results.-Clonidine and diltiazem had consistent response rates regardless of renin profile (76%, 67%, and 80% for low, medium, and high renin, respectively, for clonidine and 83%, 82%, and 83%, respectively, for diltiazem for patients with baseline DBP of 95-99 mm Hg). Hydrochlorothiazide and prazosin were best in lowand medium-renin profiles; captopril was best in medium-and high-renin profiles (low-, medium-, and high-renin response rates were 82%, 78%, and 14%, respectively, for hydrochlorothiazide; 88%, 67%, and 40%, respectively, for prazosin; and 51%, 83%, and 100%, respectively, for captopril for patients with baseline DBP of 95-99 mm Hg). Response rates for patients with baseline DBP of 95 to 99 mm Hg by age-race subgroup ranged from 70% for clonidine to 90% for prazosin for younger black men, from 50% for captopril to 97% for diltiazem for older black men, from 70% for hydrochlorothiazide to 92% for atenolol for younger white men, and from 84% for hydrochlorothiazide to 95% for diltiazem for older white men. Patients with a correct treatment for their renin profile but incorrect for age-race subgroup had a response rate of 58.7%; patients with an incorrect treatment for their renin profile but correct for age-race subgroup had a response rate of 63.1% (P = .30). After controlling for DBP and interactions with treatment group, age-race subgroup (PϽ.001) significantly predicted response to single-drug therapy, whereas renin profile was of borderline significance (P = .05). Conclusions.-In these men with stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension, therapeutic responses were consistent with baseline renin profile, but age-race subgroup was a better predictor of response.

Since the publication of a paper by the American Society of Hypertension, Inc. Writing Group in 2003, some refinements have occurred in the definition of hypertension. Blood pressure is now recognized as a biomarker for hypertension, and a distinction is made between the various stages of hypertension and global cardiovascular risk. This paper discusses the logic underlying the refinements in the definition of hypertension.

Antihypertensive drugs have disparate effects on LV mass independent of the magnitude of blood pressure reduction. Patients with adequate blood pressure control on captopril, hydrochlorothiazide, and atenolol show a reduction of LV mass after 1 year of treatment, whereas patients on diltiazem, clonidine, or prazosin do not.