Hypertension Follow Up

Monitoring

It is recommended to assess blood pressure control to check adherence to therapy, to review the need for lifestyle and treatment regimen changes, and to identify HMOD and necessary risk factor modifications. During the first 3 months after initiation of treatment, it is recommended that clinic visits should be done monthly or more frequently, depending on the patient’s hypertension stage, cardiovascular risk, prior unsuccessful attempts at blood pressure control, and other factors that would suggest treatment difficulties.  

When the blood pressure is controlled and stable, the patient may follow up annually. More frequent visits may be considered in patients at high cardiovascular risk or those with difficult blood pressure control (eg every 3 months for high-risk patients and every 6 months for low-risk patients). Follow-up should be done more frequently in patients with pre-existing HMOD while in those without pre-existing HMOD, follow-up can be done at longer intervals (eg every 3 years).  

Follow-up visits should consist of updates in the patient’s medical history, including treatment side effects, physical examination, and standard blood pressure measurements. The frequency of lab tests should depend on the patient’s clinical condition and risk level (eg annual blood test and ECG in low-risk patients).