%0 Journal Article
%T Challenges for the Control of Hypertension at the Populational Level
%A Pereira
%A Marta
%A Azevedo
%A Ana
%J Arquivos de Medicina
%D 2008
%I Scientific Electronic Library Online
%X hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and its prevention and appropriate treatment are the key components of the management of this condition. the authors brie£¿y comment on main differences in the de£¿nition of hypertension and classi£¿cation of blood pressure between guidelines for the management of this condition. then, a critical review is offered on estimates of the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension worldwide. despite a large body of evidence on effective therapies with proven bene£¿ts, the proportion of hypertensive patients whose blood pressure is controlled is disappointingly low. the reasons for inadequate blood pressure control are complex and arise from a combination of factors mainly related to patients¡¯ and physicians¡¯ ¡°inertia¡±. it is unlikely that current management strategies will lead to major improvements. time limitations, costs and other factors have been pointed out as reasons for the unfeasibility of a sustained closer follow-up with an improvement in patient-physician feedback and information exchange. research is warranted for the identi£¿cation of main barriers and usefulness of alternative strategies to improve blood pressure control, such as, for example, the effectiveness of involving other health professionals.
%K hypertension
%K blood pressure
%K control
%K management
%K prevention
%K barriers.
%U http://www.scielo.gpeari.mctes.pt/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0871-34132008000300008&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en