Objective:To provide updated 2014 evidence-based recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, assessment, and
treatment of hypertension in adults.
Methods:A medical librarian independently conducted a
MEDLINE search current to August 2013. Reference lists
were reviewed and experts were contacted to identify additional studies. Content and methodology experts reviewed and
appraised relevant articles using standardized grading algorithms. For pharmacologic interventions, evidence from randomized trials and systematic reviews of trials were preferred
and changes in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and
total mortality, were the primary outcomes of interest. For
health behaviour management, blood pressure (BP)-lowering
was accepted as a primary outcome. In patients with chronic
kidney disease (CKD), progressive renal impairment was
486 Canadian Journal of Cardiology
Volume 30 2014
accepted as a clinically relevant primary outcome. All recommendations were graded according to the strength of the
supporting evidence, and newly proposed recommendations
or changes to existing recommendations were discussed at a
consensus conference held October 15-16, 2013, in Montreal,
Canada. Proposed changes to the recommendations accepted
at the consensus conference were subsequently voted on by
the 69 members of the Canadian Hypertension Education
Program (CHEP) Recommendations Task Force (RTF).
Recommendations that received at least 70% task force
approval were accepted asfinal