Surgeon general issues call to action for hypertension control

(HealthDay)—The path toward hypertension control includes making it a national priority, ensuring community support, and optimizing patient care, according to a call to action from the U.S. Surgeon General, summarized in an article published online Oct. 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H., and Janet S. Wright, M.D., from the Office of the Surgeon General in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., discussed the importance of improving hypertension control rates for U.S. adults.

The article noted that controlling hypertension necessitates sustained and specific actions by individuals with and at risk for high blood pressure; health care and public health professionals; and communities. Three goals were presented to drive change: make hypertension control a national priority; ensure community support for hypertension control; and optimize patient care for control of hypertension, including team-based care, standardized treatment, and strategies to support patients. Setting hypertension control as a national priority draws attention to the disparities associated with hypertension, including higher rates and lower levels of control among racial and ethnic minorities, and could act as a catalyzing step toward their elimination.

"We are hopeful that today's report will lead to more organizations and individuals recognizing that high blood pressure is a major health threat that must be addressed—spurring them to take immediate action to help protect more Americans from its deadly impact," Susan R. Bailey, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, said in a statement.

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