Circulation Editors’ Picks

Abstract

Summary-Hypertension is common in the United States, afflicting more than 76 million adults aged ≥25 years. Treatment is well established, which reduces the cardiovascular complications ofThe following articles are being highlighted as part of Circulation's Topic Review series. This series will summarize the most important manuscripts, as selected by the editors, published in Circulation and the Circulation subspecialty journals. The studies included in this article represent the most read manuscripts published on the topic of hypertension within the last year. (Circulation. 2013;128:e14-e27.) Circulation Editors' Picks Most Read Articles in HypertensionThe Editors © 2013 American Heart Association, Inc. The Editors Most Read Articles in Hypertension e15hypertension, particularly stroke. In a large metropolitan area, hypertension detection and control has been a goal for many years. The results of this sustained focus are shown in the present report, in which ≈70% of hypertensive subjects in the adult population were aware of their hypertension, were treated, and had their blood pressure controlled to recommended levels. This may in part be because of higher rates of insurance, education, and income in the state of Minnesota; however, it also points to quality healthcare systems that have targeted high blood pressure as an important goal for cardiovascular disease prevention. With this combination of factors, it is possible to have high levels of blood pressure control and resulting declines in stroke deaths.Conclusions-The rate of hypertension detection and control in this community is among the highest observed in a US population and already exceeds Healthy People 2020 goals.4 Hypertension Control Among Patients Followed by CardiologistsSummary-Hypertension is one of the most prevalent modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Only half of the patients with hypertension in the United States achieve adequate blood pressure control. Nearly one-third of patients followed routinely by cardiologists at a large academic center did not reach blood pressure targets. Blood pressure is often not addressed, even when elevated, at clinic visits. Significant physician variability in hypertension control performance exists, suggesting room for quality improvement.Conclusions-Up to one-third of patients followed routinely by cardiologists in clinic have suboptimally controlled BP, with wide variability in performance across individual clinicians. This variability, alongside evidence that elevated BP is often not acted on during clinic visits, demonstrates a potential opportunity for quality improvement. 5 Simultaneous Control of Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, and Hyperlipidemia in 2 Health SystemsSummary-Individuals with diabetes mellitus must manage multiple cardiovascular risk factors, such as glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, at the same time. Previous studies have found low levels of simultaneous control of these factors, but have been cross-sectional and thus unable to follow risk factor ch...