Hypertension Management Guidelines Handout

The most current guidelines for managing hypertension include the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults, the 2018 ESC/ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension, and the 2020 International Society of Hypertension Global Hypertension Practice Guidelines.

Standard treatment guidelines recommend initiating pharmacotherapy for hypertension when blood pressure is >140/90 mmHg, with a target goal of <130/80 mmHg. Acceptable first-line antihypertensive medication is also recommended. Combination therapy with two agents is often required to achieve blood pressure targets.

The current first-line pharmacological treatment for hypertension includes ACE inhibitors, ARBs, dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, and thiazide diuretics.