Hypertension guidelines need to be patient oriented

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is growing evidence that personalisation of hypertension treatment leads to better blood pressure control. This review will explore current evidence for individualised treatment of hypertension, and application of this in future guidelines. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies demonstrate considerable inter-individual variability in responses to specific antihypertensives. Factors such as ethnicity, sex, age, BMI and genetics contribute to differences in blood pressure and cardiovascular risk. There is emerging ethnicity data that may help to support targeted pharmacotherapy. Advances in genetics, particularly through large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have given us insight into individual genetic determinants of blood pressure. The development of polygenic risk scores (PRS) also show promise for future precision-guided treatment. This review will examine both intra-individual and inter-individual variability in blood pressure control and treatment response using evidence to date. SUMMARY: Personalised hypertension care is an evolving field. Our review highlights the importance of refining clinical guidelines to better account for individual differences in blood pressure and treatment response.