Guideline highlights role of hypertension control in preventing heart failure

Keeping blood pressure under control is an important strategy to prevent the development of heart failure in patients at risk for that condition, according to a recently updated clinical guideline. “Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure,” released April 28 by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), recommends a blood pressure goal of less than 130/80 mm Hg for patients with hypertension who are at risk for heart failure. The focused update is the second of a 2-part revision to the 2013 version of the guideline, according to the authors. The first update was published last year and focused on new therapies for the treatment of heart failure. Topics addressed in the latest revision include biomarkers of heart failure, new therapies for heart failure in specific patient populations, and the prevention of heart failure. Hypertension. Attaining “significant” reductions in systolic blood pressure is a “novel strategy” to prevent heart failure in patients at risk for the disease, according to the updated guideline.