title: Hypertension in Canada: Past, Present, and Future.
abstract: Canada has an extremely successful hypertension detection and treatment program. The aim of this review was to highlight the historic and current infrastructure and initiatives that have led to this success, and the outlook moving forward into the future. We discuss the evolution of hypertension awareness and control in Canada; contributions made by organizations such as the Canadian Hypertension Society, Blood Pressure Canada, and the Canadian Hypertension Education Program; the amalgamation of these organizations into Hypertension Canada; and the impact that Hypertension Canada has had on hypertension care in Canada. The important contribution that public policy and advocacy can have on prevention and control of blood pressure in Canada is described. We also highlight the importance of population-based strategies, health care access and organization, and accurate blood pressure measurement (including ambulatory, home, and automated office modalities) in optimizing hypertension prevention and management. We end by discussing how Hypertension Canada will move forward in the near and longer term to address the unmet residual risk attributable to hypertension and associated cardiovascular risk factors. Hypertension Canada will continue to strive to enhance hypertension prevention and control rates, thereby improving the quality of life and cardiovascular outcomes of Canadians, while at the same time creating a hypertension care model that can be emulated across the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: ernesto.schiffrin@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Ernesto L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Schiffrin
authors.affiliation: Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Norman R C
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Medicine, Memorial University Health Sciences Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Ross D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Emergency Medicine and CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaczorowski
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Primary Health Care, Alberta Health Services, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lewanczuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Padwal
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sheldon W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tobe
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors