New guideline set for screening high blood pressure in adults has been released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
New guideline set for screening high blood pressure in adults has been released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
The independent panel has updated the guidelines concerning screening high blood pressure for all U.S. adults. Specialized in preventive medicine recommendations, the independent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has issued an A-graded recommendation that concerns every U.S. citizen above the age of 18. According to the task for, a periodic but constant screening for high blood pressure is linked to a
“high certainty that the net benefit is substantial”.
The updated guideline set is based on a solid scientific collection including 1,171 articles and 9,309 abstracts. The new guideline set for screening high blood pressure in adults features on the website of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. It is also published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The new guidelines recommend that people who are at risk of high blood pressure undergo screening annually. For instance, people who are overweight or whose BMI indicate obesity, as well as African Americans represent high risk groups with regards to hypertension or high blood pressure.
At the same time, for U.S. citizens aged 18 to 39 who do not have a history of medical problems or elevated high blood pressure, screening is recommended, albeit less often. The last update suffered by set of guidelines concerning high blood pressure screening occurred in 2007.
One novel recommendation and of particular interest for public health targets follow-up measures. Once a patient visits the doctor’s office for the regular blood pressure screening, the task force recommends that he or she is encouraged to follow-up on the measurements either in a medical setting or at home.
This measure should be taken before a patient is prescribed medication to control blood pressure. It’s possible that in a medical setting patients get nervous, which raises the chances that their blood pressure levels are elevated. Following up on these measurements in a more comfortable and familiar environment could prove that no medication is needed.
70 million U.S. citizens are affected by high blood pressure, according to CDC reports and statistics.
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