UK hypertension care up for review:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is preparing to undertake a review of its guidelines on the management of hypertension. The current guidelines, issued in August 2004, included a rejection of automated ambulatory blood pressure monitoring or home monitoring devices for routine use, on the basis that "their value has not been adequately established". Current policy also emphasises the need to consider assessing cardiovascular risk, covering testing for diabetes, hypertensive damage to the heart and kidneys and secondary causes of hypertension. A preliminary review of new data will be conducted in collaboration with the British Hypertension Society, given that it too will take into account the recently-concluded Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcome Trial (ASCOT) as part of the development of its own guidelines.