Is it time to celebrate a century of blood pressure management?
BACKGROUND
Even after a century of hypertension management, several trivial issues have remained unsolved and still result in inadequate control of blood pressure in many patients.


METHODS
We have performed a critical literature review on topics pertaining the assessment and management of hypertension, focusing on the gaps in knowledge and pitfalls of hypertension management in clinical practice.


RESULTS
Physicians are often not capable of adequately measuring blood pressure themselves; the office blood pressure recordings are not sufficiently reliable and the timing of the start of the treatment is often not satisfactory. However, much progress has been made in the past century. Research in this field not only expanded the potential of blood pressure measurements for risk stratification and risk management but also identified many erroneous assumptions and technical mistakes. An important step forward may be the development of affordable 'high tech' blood pressure measuring devices that continuously monitor the intra-arterial pressure in a noninvasive way to eliminate human factors and equipment errors. Technological advances will also provide adequate data storage and software allowing management on an international scale.


CONCLUSIONS
Hypertension management can almost be celebrated; however, the pressure is still on!
Berend
Kenrick
K
St. Elisabeth Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. kenber@scarlet.an
Levi
Marcel
M
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000266:history
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents