The Power Over Pressure steering committee today announced the launch of the world's first online resource created to help healthcare professionals improve diagnosis and develop solutions for treatment-resistant hypertension, an urgent and growing public health issue that affects 120 million people worldwide. Developed by global hypertension experts and endorsed by the American Society of Hypertension and the European Society of Hypertension, this new, free resource is available at PowerOverPressure.com.
"Despite focused efforts and the introduction of multiple new therapies, the percentage of hypertension patients resistant to treatment has increased by 62 percent in the last 20 years – making it critical for physicians across all disciplines who care for these patients to work together to improve patient outcomes," said Suzanne Oparil, M.D., professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics, director of the vascular biology and hypertension program in the division of cardiovascular disease at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the United States and co-chair of the Power Over Pressure Steering Committee. "PowerOverPressure.com was designed to be the one-stop comprehensive digital location for everything related to treatment-resistant hypertension, including educational guides, slide sets, and other valuable tools to help physicians more quickly identify people with treatment-resistant hypertension and optimize their care plans through current and emerging treatment approaches."
Patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, defined as persistently high blood pressure despite treatment with three or more antihypertensive medications, have a three-fold increase in risk of cardiovascular events compared to individuals with controlled high blood pressure. It is often caused by multiple factors including lifestyle and underlying conditions, making its management complex and potentially requiring the involvement of hypertension specialists. Diagnosing treatment-resistant hypertension is a process of elimination, and several factors must be considered before a patient with presumed treatment-resistant hypertension can be classified as truly treatment-resistant.
At PowerOverPressure.com healthcare professionals have access to a systematic, step-wise approach to evaluate, diagnose, and manage treatment-resistant hypertension. This approach can be used to help confirm the diagnosis of treatment-resistant hypertension, as well as identify areas for hypertension treatment optimization. The approach focuses on:
- Confirming the accuracy of blood pressure measurement
- Optimizing pharmacotherapy and adherence
- Addressing lifestyle barriers to blood pressure control
- Considering referral to a specialist
Because the management of treatment-resistant hypertension patients often requires a multi-disciplinary approach, the online resource was designed to help establish community support among physicians and patients through downloadable tools and materials including: