British Hypertensive Guidelines

Hypertension is the condition of raised blood pressure. It can cause cardiovascular disease, but through changes in your lifestyle and drug therapy you can control it. In Britain, according to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), physicians can only identify hypertension after taking several blood pressure readings.

Identification

• Doctors in the United Kingdom identify hypertension by measuring raised blood pressure over 140/90mmHg (millimeters of mercury--a pressure measurement). The doctor should test this in two readings in three clinics to assess persistence of the high blood pressure.

Assess Cardiovascular Risk

• If the patient does not already have cardiovascular disease, offer them tests for diabetes, potential heart and kidney damage caused by high blood pressure and tests to identify other causes of hypertension such as kidney disease. Refer patients with accelerated hypertension or phaeochromocytoma (a type of small tumor) to a hospital immediately.

Interventions

• A doctor should offer lifestyle advice, according to the NICE guidelines. NICE recommends that drug intervention for patients with existing cardiovascular disease (CVD), those at 20 percent or 10 year risk or more of CVD and those with hypertension of 160/90mmHg. Doctors tailor drug treatment to age and ethnicity.