Among these, the relatively low adherence to prescribed antihypertensive therapies, the frequent self-adjustments and self-interruptions of prescribed medications, the partial or insufficient control of BP levels over the 24 h, and the poor awareness of the clinical consequences of high BP represent potential pitfalls for preventive strategies aimed at reducing the burden of hypertension-related morbidity and mortality.

Several reasons have been proposed for explaining the poor rates of BP control achieved under pharmacological therapies. Despite the beneficial effects demonstrated in treated hypertensive patients who achieve the recommended therapeutic targets in terms of reduced incidence of hypertension-related CV and renal complications, proportions of treated hypertensive patients with controlled BP were far from being satisfactory, worldwide. This review aimed at discussing current applications and potential limitations of European guidelines on how to measure BP in office and out-of-office conditions, and their potential implications in the daily clinical management of hypertension.Įssential hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality, as well as for hospitalizations due to CV diseases. In line with these purposes, recent European guidelines have released practical recommendations and clear indications on how, when and how properly measuring BP levels in different clinical settings, with different techniques and different methods. Indeed, proper assessment of individual BP profile, including home, clinic and 24-h ambulatory BP levels, may improve awareness of the disease, ensure high level of adherence to prescribed medications in treated hypertensive patients, and thus contribute to ameliorate BP control in treated hypertensive outpatients. To improve hypertension management and control, national and international scientific societies proposed several educational and therapeutic interventions, among which the systematic implementation of out-of-office BP measurements represents a key element. However, several studies reported relatively poor rates of control of high blood pressure (BP) in a setting of real-life practice.

Effective control of hypertension is of key importance for reducing the risk of hypertension-related CV complications, as well as for reducing the global burden of CV mortality. Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular (CV) risk factor, strongly and independently associated with an increased risk of major CV outcomes, including myocardial infarction, stroke, congestive heart failure, renal disease and death due to CV causes.

Blood pressure chart for seniors 2021