New rules on the high blood pressure block

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In this ACC article, you'll learn about:

• What the new guidelines entail

" The new guidelines – the first comprehensive set since 2003 – lower the definition of high blood pressure to account for complications that can occur at lower numbers and to allow for earlier intervention. "

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• How defining hypertension has changed with the new rules

" The guidelines eliminate the category of prehypertension, categorizing patients as  having either Elevated (120-129 and less than 80) or Stage I hypertension  (130-139 or 80-89) "

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• How the new rules were developed

" The new ACC/AHA guidelines were  developed with nine other health professional organizations and were written by  a panel of 21 scientists and health experts who reviewed more than 900  published studies."