‘Resistant hypertension is when you’re taking three or more medications and you’ve not reached target, and usually one of those medications is a diuretic,’ Professor Terry McCormack explains in this episode of the Clinical Update podcast. He adds that determining whether patients are truly resistant or just not taking their medication can be difficult. However, he recommends asking subtle questions such as ‘We all forget to take our tablets. How, how often do you forget to take your medication’ to gain meaningful answers.

Professor McCormack also looks at management options — including combination pills, NICE-recommended therapies, and new treatments that are on the horizon. He observes that patients with resistant hypertension are the ‘highest risk patients’ for adverse outcomes such as stroke and, therefore, ‘we need to try our best to get them to take at least the three medications that are available to us at this time, to consider single pill combinations and, in the future, consider other treatments,’.

Educational objectives

After listening to this podcast, healthcare professionals should be better able to:

• Sensitively ask patients about their adherence to antihypertensive medications
• Encourage patients to adhere to medications regimens by discussing of risks of not taking their medications (such as a debilitating stroke)
• Understand the pros and cons of single-pill combination therapy for managing hypertension
• Review NICE recommendations on managing resistant hypertension
• Discuss new treatments on the horizon for managing resistant hypertension

You can access the website version of this podcast, along with key learning points, on MIMS Learning. MIMS Learning offers hundreds of hours of CPD for healthcare professionals, along with a handy CPD organiser and note-taking for appraisal.

Please note: this podcast is presented by medical editors and discusses educational content written or presented by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the MIMS Learning website and at live events.

MIMS Learning

Guidance update: NICE guidelines on hypertension

Ischaemic heart disease: clinical review

Stroke: clinical review

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