WHO Guideline for the Pharmacological Treatment of Hypertension in Adults

Abstract

Every year, more people die from cardiovascular diseases than from any other cause. Hypertension significantly increases the risk of heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases. The last World Health Organization (WHO) guideline on hypertension was published in 1999 and is now outdated. The new WHO guideline of 2021 provides the most up-to-date recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of adult patients with hypertension. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the WHO guideline translated into German and to summarize the main recommendations. The guideline was developed by WHO in accordance with WHO standards. The executive summary was translated into German by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Continuing Education Krems (Austria). WHO provides recommendations on blood pressure thresholds for initiating pharmacological treatment, the performance of examinations before initiating treatment, the choice of medication, target blood pressure, the frequency of assessments, and treatment by nonphysician professionals. This evidence-based global public health guideline from WHO captures the most up-to-date key recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults.