Millions of Americans with untreated high blood pressure should be taking medication

Key Points:

• Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults with untreated high blood pressure could benefit from treatment under newly updated American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines, affecting nearly 10 million Americans.
• The study estimates that implementing the 2025 hypertension guidelines could prevent approximately 200,900 all-cause deaths and 162,600 cardiovascular deaths over the next decade.
• Using the new PREVENT tool, which assesses multiple risk factors beyond blood pressure, about 81 million Americans would be eligible for blood pressure medications, with treatment reducing heart-related death risk by 50%.
• Lifestyle changes alongside medication are crucial for managing high blood pressure, and forming habits to ensure medication adherence is essential since about half of U.S. adults with high blood pressure do not regularly take prescribed drugs.
• Physicians are encouraged to identify early signs of cardiovascular risk and consider aggressive treatment even in younger patients, as chronic conditions like diabetes increasingly affect this group.