New perspectives for hypertension management
The contribution from progress in methodological approaches and technological developments
Objectives of the workshop
Hypertension is highly prevalent worldwide, with an increasing diffusion not only in developed countries but also, and even more quickly, in Low Resource Settings. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and risk associated with hypertension, with important improvement in the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to this condition.
Solid evidence has been collected showing that lowering blood pressure can substantially reduce premature morbidity and mortality, and a number of highly effective and well-tolerated lifestyle and drug treatment strategies can achieve this reduction in BP. Despite this, arterial hypertension is still too often undiagnosed and inadequately treated, and blood pressure control rates remain poor worldwide, being far from satisfactory also across Europe.
Consequently, hypertension remains the major preventable cause of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death globally. In this context, a major problem is still the poor patients’ adherence to doctors’ prescriptions and frequent physicians’ inertia in following the most recent guidelines.
In this workshop, we aim to gather patients, clinicians, academics, regulators and industry for a unique discussion on how the approach to hypertension management could be improved, focusing on future advances on diagnosis and treatment of this condition made available by progress in technology.
Questions to be addressed
- How to reduce hypertension prevalence by preventing its appearance
- How to diagnose hypertension earlier and more accurately, by identifying different hypertension phenotypes in daily life and specific blood pressure patterns that might carry increased cardiovascular risk
- How to more precisely identify early damage caused by hypertension, to prevent adverse event occurrence
- How to improve hypertension treatment and long term follow-up, also through Digital Health technologies
- How to best meet patients‘ expectations, physicians‘ needs, and Health Care Systems difficulties in managing highly prevalent chronic conditions at a population level
Programme
Chairpersons: Prof. Gianfranco Parati (ESC), Prof. Alexandra Goncalves (Philips), Dr. David Soergel (Novartis)
- 16:00–16:05 - Welcome – Objectives of the Workshop by Chairpersons
- 16:05–16:15 - Hypertension: Definition, Epidemiology, why does it matter (outcomes, impact), Patient Subtypes; Measurement Modalities by Prof. Gianfranco Parati (IT)
- 16:15–16:25 - Discussion
- 16:25–16:35 - How to Prevent Hypertension: Education Programs for School Children and Adolescents, Education Programs for Adults by Prof. Thomas Kahan (SE)
- 16:35–16:45 - Discussion
- 16:45–16:55 - Quantification of Adverse Consequences of Hypertension by Prof. Eva Gerdts (NO)
- 16:55–17:05 - Discussion
- 17:05–17:15 - Current Therapeutic Landscape: How do we Measure Efficacy; Therapeutic Gaps and Unmet Needs (sleep/HTN); Device-based and Lifestyle-Changes Based Treatment; Future Avenues by Prof. Felix Mafhoud (DE)
- 17:15–18:00 - Panel Discussion
- 18:00 - Wrap-up Session 1 – Let’s continue the conversation tomorrow in Session 2
18 February 16:00–18:00 – “How can we improve patients, practitioners and healthcare systems performance”
Chairpersons: Prof. Gianfranco Parati (ESC), Prof. Alexandra Goncalves (Philips), Dr. David Soergel (Novartis)
- 16:00–16:05 - Summary Day 1 – Objective of this Session by Chairpersons
- 16:05–16:15 - The Patient’s View: What do Patients Want by Dr. Paola Santalucia (Patients Association)
- 16:15–16:25 - The Practitioner’s View: What do Practitioners Need to Better Care for their Patients’ HTN by Prof. Richard McManus (UK)
- 16:25–16:35 - Discussion
- 16:35–16:45 - The Problem of Patients’ Poor Adherence to Treatment and Physicians’ Inertia in Complying with Guidelines by Dr. Rosa Maria Bruno (FR)
- 16:45–16:55 - Discussion
- 16:55–17:05 - Technology Platforms to Engage Patients, Role of IT-based Solutions Including Digital Health, Telemonitoring and Mobile Health Approaches by Prof. Enrico Caiani (IT)
- 17:05–17:15 - Discussion
- 17:15–17:25 - Healthcare System Approaches to Risk Factor Management: What Works, What Doesn’t – Including Reimbursement Policies by Prof. Lorenzo Mantovani (IT)
- 17:25–18:00 - Panel Discussion
- 18:00 - Wrap-up – Next steps – Publication
