Indications for drug therapy for adults with hypertension without
- Antihypertensive therapy should be prescribed for average DBP measurements of 100 mm Hg (Grade A; target established using OBPM) or average SBP measurements of 160 mm Hg (Grade A; target established using OBPM) in patients without macrovascular target organ damage or other cardiovascular risk factors.
- Antihypertensive therapy should be strongly considered for average DBP readings 90 mm Hg (Grade A) or for average SBP readings 140 mm Hg (Grade B for 140-160 mm Hg; Grade A for > 160 mm Hg; targets established using OBPM) in the presence of macrovascular target organ damage or other independent cardiovascular risk factors.
- For high-risk patients (Table 5), aged 50 years or older, with SBP levels 130 mm Hg, intensive management to target a SBP < 120 mm Hg should be considered. Intensive man-agement should be guided by AOBP measurements (see section I. Accurate measurement of BP, and the Recommended Technique for Automated Office Blood Pressure section of Supplemental Table S1). Patient selection for intensive management is recommended and caution should be taken in certain high-risk groups (Table 8; Grade B).