Hypertension Canada eINFO Special Edition:
What will SPRINT mean for the Guidelines?
  

We are pleased to share this special issue of eINFO to keep you appraised of the action plan we are implementing in response to the recent release of the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) results.

In the study, 9,300 hypertensive patients over the age of 50 were split into two groups with different systolic blood pressure goals: one below 140 mmHg and the other, an intensive treatment group, below 120 mmHg. SPRINT was terminated early after having achieved a significant reduction (25%) in heart failure and CVD mortality in the intensive treatment group. The results were released at the American Heart Association annual meeting on November 9, 2015.
We know that there are urgent questions about which groups would benefit from more intensive treatment, and so Hypertension Canada has set out to provide you with the best guidance as quickly as possible. Three of our CHEP Guidelines Committee subgroups (Pharmacotherapy for Hypertensive Patients Without Compelling Indications, Cardiovascular Risk Assessment, and Renal and Renovascular Hypertension) are currently reviewing the data.

The subgroups will independently report initial findings for discussion with the Central Review Committee by late December. At that time, we will determine what steps are required to achieve clarity and alignment. eINFO subscribers will be the first to receive updates, so please be sure to sign up if you have not already done so and feel free to forward this email to anyone who may be interested.

In the interim, Hypertension Canada encourages health care professionals to adhere to existing guidelines. Practitioners can also discuss the results of this study - the risks and benefits of intensive hypertension treatment - with their patients, involving them as partners in decisions about their health care.

Looking forward to updating you soon!

Sincerely,



Dr. Ernesto Schiffrin, C.M., MD, PhD,
FRSC, FRCPC, FACP

President, Hypertension Canada
Dr. Doreen Rabi, MD, FRCPC, MSc
Co-Chair, CHEP Guidelines

Helpful links:

The SPRINT Research Group
N Engl J Med 2015; 373:2103-2116 November 26, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1511939

Supplements:

The SPRINT Research Group
N Engl J Med 2015;373:2103-16. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1511939


Vlado Perkovic and Anthony Rodgers
N Engl J Med 2015; 373:2175-2178 November 26, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe1513301

Aram V. Chobanian
N Engl J Med 2015; 373:2093-2095 November 26, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1513290

Ernesto L. Schiffrin, David Calhoun, and John M. Flack
Am J Hypertens 2015; November 23, 2015 DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpv190

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