Revolutionary new guidelines for diagnosing and treating blood pressure for the medical profession have been issued by NICE and developed in corporation with the British Hypertension Society (BHS).

For the first time in over a century, GP's routine to monitor blood pressure has been changed.

A significant change of the new guideline is the recommendation to diagnose high blood pressure by using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, in which patients have to wear a monitor for 24 hours to measure their blood pressure.

Leicester, a designated European centre of Excellence, is one of the leading high blood pressure centers in Europe. Professor Bryan Williams from the University of Leicester chaired the NICE hypertension guideline and considers the new approach to prove that as many as 25% of people, who are currently being diagnosed as having high blood pressure using the 'old' method of diagnosis, i.e. repeated measurement of blood pressure in the doctor's clinic, may not be hypertensive and may not require treatment.

He commented:

"This new guideline is going to change the way blood pressure is diagnosed and treated for millions of people in the UK and around the world. The new approach will be more accurate in diagnosing high blood pressure and will ensure that the right people get treated. We are using new technologies to improve the way we diagnose high blood pressure. It means that we will be more accurate in treating those who need treatment and in avoiding treating those who don't."

According to an accompanying research published simultaneously in the Lancet, the guideline group indicates possible cost savings for the NHS due to the new approach being highly cost-effective even after considering the cost of the new technology.

Professor Williams, Professor of Medicine at the University and an honorary consultant physician at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust stated:

"Even though these new devices cost between £1,000 - £2,000, our analyses suggest that by improving the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, we will actually save money by only targeting treatment at those who need and will benefit from treatment - this is good news for patients. I am under no illusions about the challenges to implement this but I believe this guideline will be well received by both doctors and patients not just in England and Wales, but worldwide."

Under the new guideline, the treatment strategy for high blood pressure is simplified as it focuses on the most effective treatments and additionally contains specific advice on blood pressure treatment in young adults and the very elderly.

Professor Williams added:

"We have spent more than a year looking at masses of new evidence from studies in great detail before coming to our conclusions. I think the UK is leading the world in developing bold and progressive treatment strategies for high blood pressure. The importance of this cannot be overstated for two reasons, first because high blood pressure is very common and affects about a quarter of all adults and more than half of adults over the age of 60yrs, and second, because treating high blood pressure is one of the most effective ways of reducing the risks of heart disease and stroke,"

Professor Bryan Williams led the development of this new guidance and was Chairman of the NICE hypertension guideline development group. He is internationally recognized as a world authority of high blood pressure and works as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Leicester as a NIHR senior Investigator, leading the hypertension research program within the Leicester NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Cardiovascular Disease.

The guideline, "The clinical management of primary hypertension in adults", is available on the NICE website here.

Petra Rattue