Aims & Objectives
This Working Group is focusing at the study on the relationship between the heart and High Blood Pressure. This relationship is to be approached in two directions: the heart as suffering from the consequences of high blood pressure but also the other direction investigating the heart as part of the causes leading to high blood pressure.
Several new aspects of blood pressure definition are being investigated: systolic versus diastolic hypertension, borderline and mild hypertension, ambulatory hypertension and the different aspects of blood pressure profiles such as day/night blood pressure, white coat hypertension, reversed hypertension…
The group is extremely interested in the newer means to treat hypertension: in this respect both non-pharmacological as drug treatment are being approached. Newer drugs, newer drug combinations and combinations of drugs at mini doses are being explored.
Finally there is a large interest in what can be done to prevent hypertension: this starts by investigating the prevalence of high blood pressure in different populations to grasp the amplitude of the problem. Such lends the hand toward the actual prevention. This has to begin by making the population and its health care providers aware of the problem. Hypertension is the typical entity that can remain entirely asymptomatic up to the day problems occur.
Controlling food ingredients (salt, calories) can be very helpful to prevent blood pressure to increase. Also life style factors become more and more accepted as entities playing a role in the genesis of hypertension on top of genetic factors. However, focus last years has been directed toward seeing blood pressure as a part of the global risk profile and not only as a stand alone entity.
For the general population, the advice should be to known the existence of the risk factors, their important role and then do everything to control them. Wherever possible, every individual should know what his personal blood pressure is and draw the essential conclusions of such findings.
Activities
Study Groups
Besides the large number of publications by the members of the WG, the international study from which the protocol was running under the auspices of the ESC and results presented at the ESC has been published:
- Prognostic value of Ambulatory Blood Pressure recordings in patients with treated hypertension.
D.L.Clement, M.De Buyzere et al. (2003): New England Journal of Medicine: 348: 2407-2415.
- Several members of the group have collaborated in the redaction of the new guidelines on hypertension published in J.Hypertension: 2003: 21: 1011-1053.