Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Practice Guideline
. 2013 Sep;59(9):927-33, e393-400.

Recommendations on screening for high blood pressure in Canadian adults

[Article in English, French]
Patrice Lindsay  1 , Sarah Connor Gorber, Michel Joffres, Richard Birtwhistle, Donald McKay, Lyne Cloutier; Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC)
Affiliations
Practice Guideline

Recommendations on screening for high blood pressure in Canadian adults

[Article in English, French]
Patrice Lindsay et al. Can Fam Physician. 2013 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To provide recommendations on screening for hypertension in adults aged 18 years and older without previously diagnosed hypertension.

Quality of evidence: Evidence was found through a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (EBM Reviews), from January 1985 to September 2011. Study types were limited to randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and observational studies with control groups.

Main message: Three strong recommendations were made based on moderate-quality evidence. It is recommended that blood pressure measurement occur at all appropriate primary care visits, according to the current techniques described in the Canadian Hypertension Education Program recommendations for office and ambulatory blood pressure measurement. The Canadian Hypertension Education Program criteria for assessment and diagnosis of hypertension should be applied for people found to have elevated blood pressure.

Conclusion: After review of the most recent evidence, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care continues to recommend blood pressure measurement during regular physician visits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypertension analytical framework: This framework does not include management of diagnosed hypertension, as it is beyond the scope of the CTFPHC mandate. CHEP—Canadian Hypertension Education Program, CTFPHC—Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, CQ—contextual question, CVD—cardiovascular disease, HTN—hypertension, KQ—key question. *Cardiovascular morbidity includes stroke, heart disease, renal disease, peripheral vascular disease, and retinal disease. †The recommendations will defer to CHEP for a description of the specific processes for taking office, home, and ambulatory blood pressure measurements.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wilkins K, Campbell NR, Joffres MR, McAlister FA, Nichol M, Quach S, et al. Blood pressure in Canadian adults. Health Rep. 2010;21(1):37–46. - PubMed
    1. Narkiewicz K. Obesity and hypertension—the issue is more complex than we thought. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2006;21(2):264–7. Epub 2005 Nov 25. - PubMed
    1. Vasan RS, Larson MG, Leip EP, Evans JC, O’Donnell CJ, Kannel WB, et al. Impact of high-normal blood pressure on the risk of cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med. 2001;345(18):1291–7. - PubMed
    1. McAlister FA, Wilkins K, Joffres M, Leenen FH, Fodor G, Gee M, et al. Changes in the rates of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Canada over the past two decades. CMAJ. 2011;183(9):1007–13. Epub 2011 May 16. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Canadian Hypertension Education Program [website] Accurate measurement of blood pressure. Markham, ON: Hypertension Canada; 2011. Available from: www.hypertension.ca/accurate-measurement-of-blood-pressure. Accessed 2012 Mar 9.

Publication types