One in three adults in the UK are affected by hypertension. The likelihood of a person developing hypertension increases with age. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular conditions, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease.  

This Guidelines summary of the NICE hypertension guideline includes new and updated recommendations on:

• Measuring blood pressure
• Diagnosing hypertension
• Assessing cardiovascular risk and target organ damage
• Treating and monitoring hypertension
• Choosing antihypertensive drug treatment (for people with or without type 2 diabetes)
• Identifying who to refer for same-day specialist review.