Published 21 May 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2068
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2068

Editor's Choice

A new era for blood pressure management

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

This week we publish two studies that, taken together, may herald a new era of blood pressure management. So say our editorialists Richard McManus and Jonathan Mant (doi:10.1136/bmj.b940). The studies challenge the current orthodoxy, which is still that antihypertensive treatment should be titrated against regular blood pressure measurements. If acted on, these studies will simplify how we manage cardiovascular risk, with antihypertensive treatment being offered regardless of blood pressure, with less frequent blood pressure monitoring, and with checking for adverse events as the main focus of medical care.

The first paper, by Malcolm Law and colleagues, represents an enormous amount of work (doi:10.1136/bmj.b1665). The authors looked at data from 147 trials of antihypertensive treatment published between 1966 and 2007 involving 464 000 people aged 60-69. Their aim was to address the continuing uncertainty about which drugs to use and who to treat. They found that any . . . [Full text of this article]

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Rapid Responses:

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Eye of the beholder-Boondoggle?

BM Hegde
bmj.com, 26 May 2009 [Full text]

Why is blood pressure management preferable to the prevention of hypertension ?

Les O. Simpson
bmj.com, 29 May 2009 [Full text]

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