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Review
. 2022 May:9:None.
doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100219.

2021 World Health Organization guideline on pharmacological treatment of hypertension: Policy implications for the region of the Americas

Norm R C Campbell  1   2 , Melanie Paccot Burnens  3 , Paul K Whelton  4 , Sonia Y Angell  5 , Marc G Jaffe  6 , Jennifer Cohn  7 , Alfredo Espinosa Brito  8 , Vilma Irazola  9 , Jeffrey W Brettler  10 , Edward J Roccella  11 , Javier Isaac Maldonado Figueredo  12 , Andres Rosende  2 , Pedro Ordunez  2
Affiliations
Review

2021 World Health Organization guideline on pharmacological treatment of hypertension: Policy implications for the region of the Americas

Norm R C Campbell et al. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2022 May.

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the Americas and raised blood pressure accounts for over 50% of CVD. In the Americas over a quarter of adult women and four in ten adult men have hypertension and the diagnosis, treatment and control are suboptimal. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an updated guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults. This policy paper highlights the facilitating role of the WHO Global HEARTS initiative and the HEARTS in the Americas initiative to catalyze the implementation of this guideline, provides specific policy advice for implementation, and emphasizes that an overarching strategic approach for hypertension control is needed. The authors urge health advocates and policymakers to prioritize the prevention and control of hypertension to improve the health and wellbeing of their populations and to reduce CVD health disparities within and between populations of the Americas.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Clinical guideline; Health policy; Health services; High blood pressure; Hypertension; Public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

NRCC reports personal fees from Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), the Pan American Health Organization, and the World Bank outside the submitted work; and support for attending meetings from Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL), the Pan American Health Organization, and World Health Organization. He is also an unpaid advisor to the board of the World Hypertension League. The following authors declare no financial COI. PO, MPB, AR, VI, SYA,JC, ER, PKW, JWB, MGJ PO is a staff member of the Pan American Health Organization. AR and NRCC are international consultants in the same organization. However, authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication, and they do not necessarily represent those of the Pan American Health Organization.

Figures

Fig 1
Figure 1
The pillars of the HEARTS in the Americas initiative.
Fig 2
Figure 2
HEARTS in the Americas suggested prototype of an integrated clinical pathway and standardized hypertension treatment algorithm* *The medications serve as examples and can be replaced with any two medications from any of the three drug classes (ACEis/ARBs, CCBs or thiazide/thiazide-like diuretics). Start with a single-pill combination (fixed-dose combination) or two individual pills if FDC is not available.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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