Korean Society of Hypertension Revises Hypertension Treatment Guidelines
Blood pressure reference photo.
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Recommendations have been made to lower the target systolic blood pressure from 140mmHg to below 130mmHg for patients with cardiovascular disease or high-risk hypertension patients such as those with diabetes.
The Korean Society of Hypertension recently announced a revision of the "Hypertension Treatment Guidelines" reflecting this recommendation on the 12th. This is the first revision of the hypertension treatment guidelines in four years since 2018, updated and supplemented based on recently published research findings.
The most notable part is the recommendation to lower the target systolic blood pressure for high-risk groups. For general hypertensive patients without cardiovascular risk factors or complications, blood pressure should be managed as before, below 140mmHg (systolic) and 90mmHg (diastolic).
However, for high-risk groups, it is recommended to lower blood pressure below 130mmHg (systolic) and 80mmHg (diastolic) when undergoing antihypertensive treatment. High-risk groups refer to those with three or more accompanying cardiovascular risk factors or those with diabetes and two or more cardiovascular risk factors. This recommendation reflects research results showing a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease when the blood pressure target for high-risk groups is lowered.
Additionally, the revised guidelines recommend that the general population without a hypertension diagnosis measure their blood pressure at least every two years to enable early diagnosis of hypertension, and that high-risk groups measure their blood pressure annually.
Furthermore, the use of aspirin in elderly hypertensive patients is advised against if the risk is low, and it is recommended only for high-risk groups such as those with cardiovascular disease.
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