Department of Geriatric and General Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
Hypertens Res. 2023 Jun;46(6):1471-1477. doi: 10.1038/s41440-023-01253-7. Epub 2023 Mar 30.
Hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of hypertension and its complications is increasing yearly, yet it remains inadequately controlled worldwide. It has already been recognized that self-management, including self-measured blood pressure monitoring at home, is more important than office blood pressure monitoring. The practical application of telemedicine using digital technology was already underway. COVID-19 has promoted the popularization of these management systems in primary care, although the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lifestyle and healthcare access. At the beginning of the pandemic, we were at the mercy of information on whether certain antihypertensive drugs, for example, might pose a risk of infection in the face of unknown infectious diseases. Over the past three years, however, much knowledge has been accumulated. It has been scientifically proven that there is no serious problem in managing hypertension in the same way as before the pandemic. That is to control blood pressure mainly through home blood pressure monitoring and continuing conventional drug therapy while modifying lifestyle. On the other hand, in the New Normal era, it is necessary to accelerate digital hypertension management and the establishment of new social networks and medical systems to prepare for the re-emergence of future pandemics while continuing to protect against infection. This review will summarize the lessons and future directions we learned from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hypertension management. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our daily life, restricted access to healthcare, and altered some of the conventional management of hypertension.
高血压是心血管疾病的重要危险因素。高血压及其并发症的患病率逐年增加，但在全球范围内仍未得到充分控制。人们已经认识到，自我管理，包括在家中自我测量血压，比在诊所测量血压更为重要。使用数字技术的远程医疗的实际应用已经在进行中。COVID-19 已经促进了这些管理系统在初级保健中的普及，尽管 COVID-19 大流行打乱了生活方式和医疗保健的可及性。在大流行开始时，我们不得不依赖有关某些降压药（例如，在面对未知传染病时是否存在感染风险）的信息。然而，在过去的三年中，已经积累了很多知识。科学已经证明，在大流行之前，以同样的方式管理高血压没有严重问题。也就是说，主要通过家庭血压监测和继续常规药物治疗来控制血压，同时调整生活方式。另一方面，在新常态时代，有必要加速数字化高血压管理以及新的社交网络和医疗系统的建立，为未来可能再次出现的大流行做好准备，同时继续预防感染。这篇综述将总结我们从 COVID-19 大流行对高血压管理的影响中吸取的经验教训和未来方向。COVID-19 大流行扰乱了我们的日常生活，限制了医疗保健的可及性，并改变了一些常规的高血压管理方式。
