Updated JNC 8 guidelines state that pharmacologic treatment should begin when BP is 150/90 mm Hg or higher in adults aged 60 years or older or 140/90 mm Hg in adults younger than 60 years. In patients with hypertension and diabetes, pharmacologic treatment should be initiated when blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or higher, regardless of age. If the target blood pressure is not reached within 1 month after initiating therapy, the dosage of the initial medication should be increased or a second medication should be added.
The JNC 8 guidelines no longer recommend only thiazide-type diuretics as the initial therapy in most patients. According to the JNC 8 guidelines, ACE inhibitors/ARBs, CCBs, and thiazide diuretics are equally efficacious in hypertensive nonblack populations, whereas CCBs and thiazide diuretics are favored in black patients with hypertension.
Read more on pharmacologic treatment of hypertension.
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Cite this: Yasmine S. Ali. Fast Five Quiz: Hypertension Management - Medscape - Jan 24, 2019.
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