Hypertension Canada's 2016 Canadian Hypertension Education Program Guidelines for Blood Pressure Measurement, Diagnosis, Assessment of Risk, Prevention, and Treatment of Hypertension

Hypertension Canada's Canadian Hypertension Education Program Guidelines Task Force provides annually updated, evidence-based recommendations to guide the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension. This year, we present 4 new recommendations, as well as revisions to 2 previous recommendations. In the diagnosis and assessment of hypertension, automated office blood pressure, taken without patient-health provider interaction, is now recommended as the preferred method of measuring in-office blood pressure. Also, although a serum lipid panel remains part of the routine laboratory testing for patients with hypertension, fasting and nonfasting collections are now considered acceptable. For individuals with secondary hypertension arising from primary hyperaldosteronism, adrenal vein sampling is recommended for those who are candidates for potential adrenalectomy. With respect to the treatment of hypertension, a new recommendation that has been added is for increasing dietary potassium to reduce blood pressure in those who are not at high risk for hyperkalemia. Furthermore, in selected high-risk patients, intensive blood pressure reduction to a target systolic blood pressure ≤ 120 mm Hg should be considered to decrease the risk of cardiovascular events. Finally, in hypertensive individuals with uncomplicated, stable angina pectoris, either a β-blocker or calcium channel blocker may be considered for initial therapy. The specific evidence and rationale underlying each of these recommendations are discussed. Hypertension Canada's Canadian Hypertension Education Program Guidelines Task Force will continue to provide annual updates. Chaque année, le groupe de travail du Programme éducatif canadien sur l’hypertension d’Hypertension Canada fournit une mise à jour de ses recommandations fondées sur des données probantes en vue de la prévention, du diagnostic, de l’évaluation et du traitement de l’hypertension. Cette année, nous vous présentons quatre nouvelles recommandations et deux recommandations révisées. En clinique, pour évaluer la présence de l'hypertension et poser le diagnostic, on recommande désormais les mesures électroniques oscillométrique en série qui ne nécessitent pas la présence du professionel de la santé durant la mesure. Chez les patients hypertendus, le bilan lipidique demeure un examen de laboratoire de routine, mais il est désormais acceptable que la prise de sang soit effectuée que le patient soit à jeun ou non. Chez les pa