New guidelines for high blood pressure and dyslipidemia: beyond the controversy, are they reliable guides?

Abstract

Updates to the Guidelines for the Management of High Blood Pressure and the Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemia have been recently published in the eighth report of the Joint National Committee. Both are evidence-based and rely on clinical trial results, leaving aside, when possible, recommendations made by experts. Both have introduced important methodological changes in the form of cataloging and summarizing the evidence used. The High Blood Pressure Guideline is considered to be a reliable guide; it has simplified recommendations and is easy to implement. A potentially interesting change in the Dyslipidemia Guideline is the abandonment of the numerical therapeutic target in order to use the modification of the level of risk, which could promote a discussion about the intensity of treatment, and initiate shared decision-making.