Adoption of the new 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) hypertension guidelines would result in a “substantial” increase in the prevalence of hypertension in both the U.S. and China, according to a new study published on July 11 in The BMJ. The 2017 ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines refer to standard blood pressure as being 130/80 mmHg or less.
While the guidelines are being implemented in the U.S., the most interesting findings came from the impact the guidelines would have on the Chinese hypertensive population.
“The population impact of changes in guideline recommendations in the U.S. has been evaluated, both previously and for the ACC/AHA guidelines,” wrote lead author Harlan Krumholz of the Yale School of Medicine, and colleagues. “However, an understanding of how these recommendations translate to non-US populations, in which they are often implemented, could also provide valuable insight into their overall impact. Furthermore, as several major clinical studies rely on non-U.S. populations, such international assessments of U.S. guidelines are essential to appreciate their effect in other countries. China has a high prevalence of hypertension and the world’s largest population.”
Krumholz and colleagues sought to examine the effect of the 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines on the prevalence of hypertension and eligibility for new and more intensive treatment in the U.S. and China.
They analyzed data of individuals between the ages of 45 to 75 from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) who under the new guidelines, would have a diagnosis of hypertension and could potentially be candidates for treatment.
They found adoption of the 2017 ACC/AHA guidelines would increase the number of people with hypertension and would also increase the number of people who are recommended to receive treatment in both countries. The researchers’ chief findings include:
- 70 million people aged 45 to 75 would classify as hypertensive in the U.S.
- 267 million people of the same age group would classify as hypertensive in China.
- 7.5 million people in the U.S. and 55 million people in China would be advised to start a drug treatment.
- 14 million people in the U.S. and 30 million people in China would receive more intensive drug treatments.
- Full implementation of the new guidelines would result in 27 percent of the general U.S. population having hypertension and 45 percent of the general Chinese population having hypertension.
- Currently, 75 million patients with hypertension in China are untreated, and full implementation of the new guidelines would increase that statistic to 130 million patients.
“If adopted, the 2017 ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines will markedly increase the number of people labeled as having hypertension and treated with drugs in both the U.S. and China, leading to more than half of those aged 45-75 years in both countries being considered hypertensive,” the authors wrote.
As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.