2017 Hypertension Clinical Guidelines
Published: November 13, 2017
- This guideline is an update of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute publication, “The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure” (JNC 7) and is a comprehensive resource for the clinical and public health practice communities.
- Previous guidelines identified high blood pressure as ≥ 140/90 mm Hg. This guideline now defines high blood pressure to be anyone with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 130 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 80 mm Hg.
- The change will mean more patients are diagnosed with hypertension. To improve blood pressure control and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in these patients, a small percentage of them will be asked to take medications while the majority will be recommended for nonpharmacological interventions with healthy lifestyle changes.
Understanding the 2017 Hypertension Guidelines
John Warner, MD, president of the American Heart Association, interviews Paul Whelton, MD, writing group chair for the 2017 Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines and the need for the guidelines, the new classification system, and what it means for clinicians and their patients.
Supporting Materials
- Top Things to Know: 2017 Hypertension Clinical Guidelines: A Report of the ACC/AHA Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines
- Executive Summary
- Systematic Review
- Hypertension Highlights (PDF)
- Commentary: New hypertension guideline updates how we measure and treat high blood pressure by John Warner, MD, MBA; President, American Heart Association
- Hypertension Highlights—Detailed Summary (PDF)
- Slide Set: 2017 AHA/ACC Hypertension Clinical Guidelines (PDF)
- Video Series: Clinical Strategies for the 2017 Hypertension Guidelines
- AHA News: Nearly half of U.S. adults could now be classified with high blood pressure, under new definitions
- AHA News: Don’t just get your BP taken; make sure it’s taken the right way
- AHA News: More than half of all African-Americans have high blood pressure under new diagnostic guidelines
- News Release: High blood pressure redefined for first time in 14 years: 130 is the new high