A 20/20 Match: ACC/AHA 2017 versus ESC/ESH 2018 Guidelines for Management of Hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension, the commonest noncommunicable disease globally, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease and renal failure. Theoretically, while it is easy to diagnose and manage by simple measures, practically it has been observed that not only treatment but also diagnosis and its preventive measures are inadequate in developing as well as developed nations. Several guidelines by various international organizations are available to guide clinicians for hypertension management. Though the basic principles of hypertension management are similar in all the guidelines, subtle differences are there. In this article, we compare the two most widely accepted guidelines for hypertension, that is, American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2017 Hypertension Guidelines and 2018 European Society of Cardiology and European Society of Hypertension Guidelines on Hypertension. Both the differences and similarities between these two widely followed guidelines are presented.