Managing High Blood Pressure

People with high blood pressure may benefit from changing their lifestyle to keep their blood pressure under control. They should stop smoking, exercise, eat a healthy diet, and lose weight if they are overweight. Medications may also be needed to control high blood pressure.

Updated March 2008

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Systematic Reviews of Treatments for High Blood Pressure
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Links to systematic reviews of the evidence for the effectiveness of treatments for managing high blood pressure.
21 Resources Found
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Title:   Media release. New PBS listings for May 2008
Publisher:   Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing
Description:   Women with advanced breast cancer, people with hypertension and people with osteoporosis will benefit from new listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Date:   May 2008
Title:   Blood pressure (high) - hypertension
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   High blood pressure (hypertension) means that your blood is pumping at a higher pressure than normal through your arteries. This can contribute to a number of diseases including heart attack, kidney failure or stroke.
Date:   Nov 2007
Title:   Heart disease and food
Publisher:   Better Health Channel
Description:   Diet is an important risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease. Some foods increase the risk and others may protect against the condition.
Date:   Jul 2007
Title:   Beta blockers (Comments for consumers)
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   Beta blockers are a type of medicine used to treat high blood pressure. Commonly used beta blockers are atenolol, metoprolol and propranolol. By reducing a patient's blood pressure beta blockers can reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Date:   Feb 2007
Title:   Should beta blockers remain first-line drugs for hypertension?
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   Hypertension is an important risk factor for stroke and other cardiovascular events. National and international guidelines recognise five classes of drugs for the first-line treatment of hypertension, but the effectiveness of beta blockers has recently been questioned, especially in the elderly.
Date:   Feb 2007
Title:   High blood pressure treatments
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   Read about the measures and medications that can help to prevent high blood pressure.
Date:   Nov 2006
Title:   High blood pressure overview
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   High blood pressure is common in Australia. Although it often causes no symptoms, it is a major contributor to heart attack and stroke.
Date:   Aug 2006
Title:   Blood pressure - comments for consumers
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   There are five main types of medicine for treating high blood pressure. These medicines aim to reduce heart attacks and strokes by lowering blood pressure. It does not matter which drug is used, if it is safe and effectively lowers the blood pressure.
Date:   Apr 2005
Title:   First-line medicines in the treatment of hypertension
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   The goal of therapy in uncomplicated hypertension is to reduce cardiovascular risk by lowering the patient's blood pressure. If non-drug treatment is ineffective, the choice of drug treatment is determined by its safety and efficacy.
Date:   Apr 2005
Title:   Avoiding salt to prevent or treat high blood pressure and other salt-related conditions - detailed answer
Publisher:   Nutrition Australia
Description:   The following questions and answers explain how people can reduce salt consumption to (a) Treat such conditions as high blood pressure, swollen ankles ('idiopathic oedema'), premenstrual syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome and the severe vertigo attacks of Meniere's syndrome; and (b) Help to prevent these conditions
Date:   Sep 2004
Title:   Which medicine for blood pressure? (comments for consumers)
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   People with high blood pressure may benefit from changing their lifestyle to keep their blood pressure under control. If a medicine is needed to control the blood pressure, there are several to choose from.
Date:   Aug 2004
Title:   Resolving the differences between ACE inhibitors and diuretics - ALLHAT and ANBP2
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   The protective effects of blood pressure reduction are clear. However, the choice of antihypertensive drug is less clear. Two trials comparing the effects of ACE inhibitors and diuretics have produced apparently conflicting conclusions.
Date:   Aug 2004
Title:   High blood pressure should be treated
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   Hypertension (high blood pressure) is one of the main causes of preventable illness such as strokes, heart attacks and some cases of kidney disease.
Date:   Mar 2004
Title:   Hypertension: how low to go? (Comment for consumers)
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   High blood pressure increases the risk of dying of heart disease and stroke. Stopping smoking is the most important thing someone can do to reduce their risk. People whose blood pressure stays high despite exercising, eating healthy food and not smoking may need to take a medicine
Date:   Jun 2003
Title:   Hypertension: how low to go?
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   As blood pressure rises the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease increases. Lowering blood pressure aims to reduce the risk, but it is not certain that a low target for blood pressure will improve survival.
Date:   Jun 2003
Title:   Hypertension
Publisher:   myDr
Description:   Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure and describes the pressure exerted by the blood within the arteries.
Date:   Mar 2003
Title:   Summary faq on avoiding salt to prevent or treat high blood pressure and other salt-related conditions
Publisher:   Nutrition Australia
Description:   Most cases of high blood pressure are believed to result from inappropriate diet and lifestyle, especially high salt intake and low levels of physical activity.
Date:   Jan 2003
Title:   Combination products - love them or loathe them?
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   The introduction of new combination products requires prescribers to decide whether or not to include these formulations in their personal formulary.
Date:   Oct 2001
Title:   Facilitators file: combination antihypertensives
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   The National Prescribing Service (NPS) has provided funds to divisions of general practice to employ facilitators. These facilitators visit general practitioners to discuss common prescribing problems.
Date:   Oct 2001
Title:   Is there a place for thiazide diuretics in the management of hypertension?
Publisher:   Australian Prescriber
Description:   Before the introduction of antihypertensive drugs in the 1940s, one of the few effective approaches to treating high blood pressure was severe restriction of dietary salt intake. Orally active diuretic drugs were a welcome alternative when they became available in the late 1950s.
Date:   Jan 1999
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