High Blood Pressure: What's New?

What are Hypertension Canada’s recommendations and why are they made?

These days, recommendations, guidelines, and consensus statements are everywhere in health care. One of the main goals of recommendations and guidelines is to provide health care professionals with sound evidence to help them provide the best possible care to their patients. Name a medical condition and you'll find some recommendations or guidelines for it. And high blood pressure is no exception!

Each year, Hypertension Canada reviews and updates its recommendations for the management of high blood pressure in adults and children. Hypertension Canada’s guideline panel is composed of a diverse group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and academics. These experts identify and review studies relevant to high blood pressure and produce recommendations based on the information they have reviewed.

So why do we need these recommendations? Even though there have been significant advancements in the management of high blood pressure, 1 in 3 Canadians with high blood pressure do not have their blood pressure controlled, and almost 1 in 5 Canadians with high blood pressure are not even aware that they have it. Since treating high blood pressure can reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart and kidney disease, and reduce the risk of dying, tackling the issues related to high blood pressure is critical to the health of many Canadians.

The recommendations are a very useful tool. Each year, new information is gathered through research and new treatments are discovered. All this data has to be updated and shared with physicians and other health care professionals. Armed with the recommendations, health care professionals can provide optimal care to their patients with high blood pressure.

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/High-Blood-Pressure-Whats-New

What's new for the latest recommendations?

Heart Health

Each year Hypertension Canada focuses on certain key messages in their recommendations. These updated messages are chosen based on areas that have new scientific evidence or areas that can have a large impact on the health of Canadians. The latest recommendations have a few key messages for people with high blood pressure.

Reach your targets

Hypertension Canada's guidelines emphasize how important it is to reach your blood pressure targets. For most people, this means reaching a blood pressure of less than 135/85 mm Hg. For people with diabetes, the targets are lower: less than 130/80 mm Hg. Your blood pressure targets may also depend on your risk for heart disease, so ask your doctor if you're not sure what your targets are. To reach these targets, you may need a combination of medications and healthy lifestyle changes (see below). It's very important to follow your treatment plan and use your medication as recommended by your doctor. Reaching your targets can help you reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Measure your blood pressure at home as recommended by your doctor

Home blood pressure measurement can help you see how your treatment is going and motivate you to stick with your medication and healthy lifestyle changes. Ask your doctor which blood pressure monitor is best for you and how to use it properly. An average blood pressure of 135/85 or higher on home blood pressure measurements is considered high. If you have high readings, consult your doctor.

Live a healthy lifestyle

It is recommended that adults start making healthy lifestyle changes to reduce their blood pressure and their risk of heart disease. Healthy lifestyle changes include:

exercising at a moderate intensity (e.g., walking, swimming, cycling) for 30 to 60 minutes 4 to 7 days a week
eating a healthy diet high in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods, and low-fat dairy products; and low in salt and saturated fats
being smoke free
reducing alcohol consumption to no more than 2 drinks per week, or 2 drinks per occasion
losing weight (if needed) and maintaining a healthy weight
managing stress

What else can I do to help manage my high blood pressure?

Heart Health

Reduce your sodium intake. Guidelines continue to recommend that all Canadians should reduce their intake of sodium. Too much sodium (salt) in the diet is a significant cause of high blood pressure. Check food labels to see how much sodium each serving contains. To manage your blood pressure, consider reducing your sodium intake to less than 2,000 mg per day. Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may recommend a lower sodium intake. To cut your sodium intake, try using fresh foods more often than processed "convenience foods," rinsing canned foods to remove some sodium, using spices instead of salt during cooking, and choosing low- or reduced-sodium versions of foods.

High blood pressure treatment should be based on a person's overall heart disease risk, not just on high blood pressure. Therefore, in developing a treatment plan, doctors need to consider other risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, being overweight, diabetes, age, and gender. This overall risk will affect the blood pressure targets as well as the types of medications used.

Combination treatment is usually needed to control high blood pressure. Although lifestyle changes alone may control blood pressure for some, most people will need to combine lifestyle changes with one or more medications. Even when medications are needed, lifestyle changes are still important, as they may reduce the number of medications required to control high blood pressure. Experts agree that it is better to add on medications than to use the maximum dose of one medication or change to another medication.

Sticking with treatment is the key to long-term success. It can be a challenge to take medications regularly, especially for a medical condition such as high blood pressure that often has no symptoms. To help stick to your treatment plan, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about:

ways to help you remember to take your medications
simplifying your medications (e.g., once-daily dosing or combination products) – talk to your doctor or pharmacist about options that may be right for you
any questions you have about high blood pressure and your treatment (including questions about lifestyle issues and medications)

For more information and tips on sticking with treatment, see our Health Feature "Don't Miss a Dose."

What do the Hypertension Canada recommendations mean to you?

Heart Health

Whether you're at risk for getting high blood pressure or already have it, here's what you can do to get the most from the Hypertension Canada (HC) recommendations.

Monitor your blood pressure regularly. If you don't have high blood pressure, get your blood pressure checked regularly as recommended by your doctor. If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about how often you should monitor your blood pressure. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about what type of monitor is right for you. Make sure you:

understand how to use and maintain the monitor
read the instructions carefully
take your monitor to your next doctor's office visit so your doctor can check to see if your monitor produces the same reading as the doctor gets

Reduce your risk factors for high blood pressure and heart disease. Although some risk factors can't be changed (e.g., family history, age), many risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, too much dietary salt, stress, and too much alcohol intake can be changed. Talk to your doctor to find out exactly what you can do to reduce your risk.

Know your target blood pressure. For most people with high blood pressure, the target is to have blood pressure that is less than 135/85. However, in certain circumstances (e.g., if you have diabetes or kidney disease), the target values are lower. People with diabetes should aim for a blood pressure of less than 130/80. Your blood pressure targets may also depend on your risk for heart disease, so ask your doctor if you're not sure what your targets are, and monitor your blood pressure regularly. Let your doctor know if you are not reaching your target – your treatment plan may need to be adjusted.

Following the recommendations will help keep you and your heart healthy!

Featured Programs

Your Health Matters Summit - Obesity Matters - April 27, 2024 hybrid online and in-person event - Unite for health at Your Health Matters Summit - Register Now

Obesity Matters ‘Your Health Matters Summit’