Potential impact of 2018 Korean Society of Hypertension guidelines on Korean population: a population-based cohort study

Abstract

Background: The Korean Society of Hypertension (KSH) revised the local guidelines for hypertension in 2018. The present study sought to evaluate the potential impact of the 2018 KSH guidelines on hypertension management status among the Korean population in terms of prevalence of hypertension, antihypertensive medical treatment recommendations, and control status in Korean adults. Methods: We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate the number and percentage of Korean adults who have hypertension according to blood pressure (BP) classification, are recommended to receive antihypertensive medical treatment, and are receiving medical treatment and have BP in the optimal range according to the new recommendations. Adults aged 30 years or older who participated in the survey between 2013 and 2015 were selected for this study. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 30.5% among Korean adults aged 30 years or older. The percentage of subjects who are recommended to be treated with antihypertensive medications substantially increased from 32.5 to 37.8%, which translates to 1.6 million adults. Among the hypertensive patients who were receiving medical treatment, 38.6% were shown to have adequate BP levels as recommended by the 2018 KSH guidelines compared with 51.8% according to the previous 2013 guidelines. Conclusions: The present study reports the potential impact of the 2018 KSH guidelines on the prevalence of hypertension, antihypertensive medical treatment recommendations, and control status for Korean adults. The 2018 KSH guidelines recommend more intensive BP control compared with previous guidelines. This study suggests that there is large scope for improvement in hypertension management in the Korean population.

Association between Use of Hydrochlorothiazide and Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer: Common Data Model Cohort Study in Asian Population

“…By adopting new BP thresholds, BP therapy would be recommended to millions of additional US adults [ 4 ], but it was expected to bring more benefits for society and individuals by reducing the risk of cardiovascular and cardiovascular-related diseases with interventions in an earlier course of progression [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. However, after a new diagnosis, most hypertensive patients inevitably require more antihypertensive classes to achieve intensified BP target goals [ 8 , 9 ].…”

Intensive blood pressure lowering: a practical review

“…In Asia, the 2018 Korean Hypertension Guidelines [ 10 ] recommend intensive BP lowering in all risk patients including patients with clinical cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or renal disease [ 11 ], and the elderly, but the guidelines also recommend taking into account the specificities of diseases associated with HT, the method of BP measurement and the lack of indubitable evidence in some fields.After the publication of the KSH guidelines Kwun SJ [ 12 ] and cols evaluate the potential impact of the 2018 KSH guidelines on hypertension management status among the Korean population in terms of prevalence of hypertension, antihypertensive medical treatment recommendations, and control status in Korean adults. They conclude that a more intensive BP lowering goa would result in a remarkable increase in the number of adults who are recommended to receive medical treatment, and a decline in the hypertension control rate.…”