The 1984 Report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure

Abstract

Since publication of the 1980 Report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure,¹ several events have occurred that affect successful management of hypertension: publication of major clinical trial results, introduction of new antihypertensive agents, evidence concerning effectiveness of nonpharmacologic treatment, and further analysis of the epidemiologic data-base relating BPs with the risk of premature morbidity and mortality. These events led the director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), as chairman of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee, to establish a new Joint National Committee to revise earlier recommendations. This report includes recommendations on the following topics: (1) screening and referral procedures, (2) classification according to BPs, (3) use of nonpharmacologic therapies, (4) revised stepped-care approach, (5) management of mild hypertension, (6) patient-professional interaction, and (7) management of BP in special groups, including blacks, children, and pregnant