What is the approach to a patient with a blood pressure of 160/110?

Approach to a Patient with BP 160/110

For a patient with blood pressure 160/110 mmHg, confirm the diagnosis as soon as possible (within 1 month) using out-of-office blood pressure monitoring (home or ambulatory BP), exclude hypertensive emergency, and initiate prompt pharmacological treatment with two antihypertensive medications from different classes alongside lifestyle modifications. 1

Immediate Assessment and Diagnosis Confirmation

Rule Out Hypertensive Emergency

• Immediately assess for signs and symptoms of acute target organ damage including severe headache, visual changes, chest pain, dyspnea, neurological deficits, or altered mental status 1
• If BP ≥180/110 mmHg or any signs of target organ damage are present, this constitutes a hypertensive emergency requiring immediate hospitalization 1
• For BP 160-179/100-109 mmHg without acute organ damage, this is a hypertensive urgency requiring confirmation and treatment initiation within 1 month 1

Confirm the Diagnosis

• Obtain out-of-office BP measurements using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) or home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) to confirm the diagnosis before initiating long-term treatment 1
• If ABPM/HBPM is not logistically or economically feasible, confirm with repeated office measurements on multiple visits (at each visit, take three readings 1-2 minutes apart and average the last two) 1
• The diagnosis threshold is office BP ≥160/100 mmHg or ABPM/HBPM ≥150/95 mmHg 1

Initial Evaluation

Cardiovascular Risk Assessment

• Calculate 10-year cardiovascular disease risk using SCORE2 (ages 40-69) or SCORE2-OP (ages ≥70) unless the patient already has established CVD, moderate-to-severe CKD, diabetes, familial hypercholesterolemia, or hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy 1
• Patients with any of these conditions are automatically considered high or very high cardiovascular risk 1

Laboratory and Diagnostic Workup

• Measure serum creatinine, eGFR, and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio in all patients 1
• Obtain a 12-lead ECG for all patients to assess for left ventricular hypertrophy or other cardiac abnormalities 1
• Consider echocardiography if ECG shows abnormalities or if detection of LVH would influence treatment decisions 1
• Perform fundoscopy if BP >180/110 mmHg to evaluate for hypertensive retinopathy 1
• Screen for secondary hypertension if there are suggestive signs, symptoms, or medical history (young age <40 years, resistant hypertension, or sudden onset) 1

Pharmacological Treatment

Initial Medication Strategy

For BP 160/110 mmHg, initiate treatment with two antihypertensive medications from different classes immediately rather than monotherapy, as most patients at this level require multiple agents to achieve control 1, 2, 3

Preferred Drug Combinations

For Non-Black Patients:

• First choice: ACE inhibitor or ARB + thiazide-like diuretic (chlorthalidone or indapamide preferred over hydrochlorothiazide) 2, 4
• Alternative: ACE inhibitor or ARB + dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker 2
• Use single-pill combination formulations whenever possible to improve adherence 2, 3

For Black Patients:

• First choice: Dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker + thiazide-like diuretic 2, 4
• ACE inhibitors and ARBs are less effective as monotherapy in Black patients 2

Special Populations:

• Patients with diabetes and albuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g): Include an ACE inhibitor or ARB in the regimen for renal protection 1
• Patients with chronic kidney disease: Use RAS blockers (ACE inhibitor or ARB) as they are more effective at reducing albuminuria 1

Dosing Principles

• Start with standard doses of both medications 2
• Chlorthalidone 12.5-25 mg daily is preferred over hydrochlorothiazide due to longer duration of action and superior cardiovascular outcomes data 2, 4
• If target BP is not achieved within 1 month, increase to full doses of both medications before adding a third agent 2

Blood Pressure Goals

Target Blood Pressure

• Target BP <140/90 mmHg as a minimum, with an optimal goal of <130/80 mmHg for most adults 1, 2, 3
• For adults <65 years, aim for systolic BP 120-129 mmHg if well tolerated 2
• For older adults ≥65 years, target systolic BP 130-139 mmHg 1
• Achieve target BP within 3 months of treatment initiation 2, 4, 3
• Aim to reduce BP by at least 20/10 mmHg from baseline 2, 3

Special Considerations for BP Targets:

• Patients with diabetes: Target <130/80 mmHg, with systolic BP to 130 mmHg and <130 mmHg if tolerated, but not <120 mmHg 1
• Patients with CKD and eGFR >30 mL/min/1.73 m²: Target systolic BP 120-129 mmHg if tolerated 1
• Never reduce diastolic BP below 80 mmHg in pregnant women 1

Lifestyle Modifications

Implement evidence-based lifestyle interventions immediately alongside pharmacotherapy: 1, 2

Dietary Modifications

• Restrict sodium intake to approximately 2 g/day (equivalent to 5 g of salt/day) 1, 2
• Adopt a Mediterranean or DASH diet pattern high in vegetables, fresh fruits, fish, nuts, unsaturated fatty acids (olive oil), and low-fat dairy products with low consumption of red meat 1
• Increase potassium intake through diet 1

Weight Management

• Target BMI 20-25 kg/m² and waist circumference <94 cm (men) or <80 cm (women) 1, 2
• Each 1 kg weight loss reduces BP by approximately 1 mmHg 4

Physical Activity

• Engage in at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (30 minutes, 5-7 days/week) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week 1, 2
• Complement aerobic exercise with low- or moderate-intensity resistance training 2-3 times/week 1

Alcohol Restriction

• Limit alcohol to <14 units/week for men and <8 units/week for women (approximately 100 g/week of pure alcohol) 1
• Preferably avoid alcohol entirely for best health outcomes 1

Smoking Cessation

• Strongly encourage complete tobacco cessation 2

Monitoring and Follow-Up

Short-Term Monitoring

• Reassess BP within 1 month after initiating therapy to evaluate response and adjust medications 2, 4, 3
• If BP remains uncontrolled on two drugs at full doses, escalate to three-drug combination (preferably ACE inhibitor/ARB + calcium channel blocker + thiazide diuretic as single-pill combination) 2

Long-Term Monitoring

• Consider home BP monitoring or repeat ABPM to confirm office readings and detect white-coat or masked hypertension 2, 4
• Monitor serum creatinine, eGFR, and potassium levels at least annually, or more frequently if on ACE inhibitor, ARB, or diuretic 1
• Repeat urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio annually if CKD is present 1

Common Pitfalls and Caveats

Avoid Therapeutic Inertia

• Therapeutic inertia (failure to intensify treatment when BP goals are not met) is a major cause of poor BP control 3
• Do not delay treatment escalation if BP targets are not achieved within 1 month 2

Medication Adherence

• Assess and address medication adherence at every visit, as non-adherence is a common cause of uncontrolled hypertension 3, 5
• Single-pill combinations significantly improve adherence compared to multiple separate pills 2, 3

Avoid Excessive Rapid BP Reduction

• In hypertensive urgency (160-179/100-109 mmHg without organ damage), reduce BP gradually over 24-48 hours, not within minutes 5, 6, 7
• Patients with chronic hypertension have altered autoregulation; acute normalization can cause hypoperfusion 5

Do Not Use Sublingual Medications

• Avoid sublingual nifedipine or other sublingual antihypertensives for urgent BP reduction due to unpredictable effects 6

Screen for Secondary Hypertension

• Consider secondary causes if patient is young (<40 years), has resistant hypertension (uncontrolled on ≥3 drugs), or presents with sudden onset 1, 3, 7
• Common secondary causes include renal artery stenosis, primary aldosteronism, pheochromocytoma, obstructive sleep apnea, and medication non-compliance 5, 7

Pregnancy Considerations

• If the patient is a woman of childbearing age or pregnant, BP ≥160/110 mmHg requires immediate hospitalization 1
• In pregnancy, systolic BP ≥170 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥110 mmHg is an emergency requiring immediate admission 1
• Use labetalol IV, oral nifedipine, or IV hydralazine for acute treatment in pregnancy; avoid ACE inhibitors and ARBs (teratogenic) 1