A Round-Up on Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Therapy Based on the 2014 Guidelines

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the USA. Moreover, hypertension affects approximately 78 million people in the USA and is a major modifiable risk factor. Therefore, elevated blood pressure is listed as the primary contributory cause of death in 15 % of the 2.4 million deaths in 2009. Nonetheless, 44% of the hypertensive population in the USA did not have it under control in 2014. Hypertension cost was averaged to be 40-50 billion dollars yearly including medications and services and currently rising. New hypertension guidelines recommend treating individuals between ages 35 and 74 with different stages of hypertension. Furthermore, individuals with existing co-morbidities such as chronic kidney disease and diabetes should have increased medication adherence and different blood pressure goal compared to those without co-morbidities. Studies utilizing quality-adjusted life-years (QUALYs) were conducted to asses the cost-effectiveness of treating previously untreated adults with hypertension. On average, treating adults between ages 35 to 74 years could prevent about 50,000 and 13,000 cardiovascular events and deaths, respectively. Overall, treating stage 1 and 2 hypertension adults including emphasis on medication adherence could be effective and cost saving. The purpose of this article is to review different methods and assess cost-effectiveness for hypertension therapy based on the 2014 guidelines.