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Review
. 2022 Feb;36(2):126-134.
doi: 10.1038/s41371-021-00570-z. Epub 2021 Jul 2.

Hypertension in China: burdens, guidelines and policy responses: a state-of-the-art review

Ruoyu Yin #  1   2 , Lishi Yin #  1   3 , Lin Li  4 , Jennifer Silva-Nash  1 , Jingru Tan  1 , Zixian Pan  1 , Jianying Zeng  5 , Lijing L Yan  6   7   8   9
Affiliations
Review

Hypertension in China: burdens, guidelines and policy responses: a state-of-the-art review

Ruoyu Yin et al. J Hum Hypertens. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Hypertension is a leading risk factor of cardiovascular disease and it is becoming increasingly prevalent globally. Correspondingly, the Chinese government and public health institutions have issued a series of policy documents and guidelines for hypertension. However, no comprehensive review of such documents has been conducted. Hence, this review aims to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of not only the disease burden, but also hypertension management policies and guidelines in China. A total of 15 epidemiological studies based on national population surveys, 15 Chinese Hypertension Guidelines, and seven policy documents were identified. We found a larger burden of hypertension in men, while the awareness, treatment, and control rates have remained low in both sexes. The ranges of hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rate among hypertensive patients were 18.0-44.7%, 23.6-56.2%, 14.2-48.5%, and 4.2-30.1% respectively. Chinese hypertension guidelines provide evidence-based instructions to healthcare practitioners over hypertension management in which primary healthcare is increasingly emphasized. Finally, the policy documents set national goals for hypertension management and standardized the services provided in primary healthcare. The findings highlight the importance of integrating new guidelines into hypertension management provided by primary healthcare practitioners and the need to evaluate the implementation of guidelines and policies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of literature search and screening of the epidemiological studies on burden of hypertension in China.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Disease burden of hypertension in China.
a Prevalence of hypertension in China. b Awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension in China. c Prevalence of hypertension in China by sex. d Awareness, treatment and control rates of hypertension in China by sex.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Publication Timeline of Hypertension Guidelines in China.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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