Under the new blood pressure guidelines, more people are classified as having high blood pressure; but the treatment emphasis is on lifestyle changes, not medications. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recently released new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure. The highlights are reported here.… read more "New Blood Pressure Guidelines: Why Are Previously Normal BPs Now Classified as High Blood Pressure?"
New Cholesterol Guidelines
On November 15, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released an updated guideline for the use of statins to prevent and treat atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The full report is available online. It has already generated a lot of controversy. The news media have characterized it as… read more "New Cholesterol Guidelines"
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Cholesterol Tests for Children?
The American Academy of Family Physicians journal American Family Physician (AFP) has a feature called Journal Club that I’ve mentioned before. Three physicians examine a published article, critique it, discuss whether to believe it or not, and put it into perspective. In the September 15 issue the journal club analyzed an article that critiqued the process… read more "Clinical Practice Guidelines: Cholesterol Tests for Children?"