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In 2003, the JNC 7 issued new guidelines for what is considered a healthy blood pressure range based on a review of hundreds of studies and new evidence of greater risk associated with slightly elevated blood pressure. As a result, many patients who were previously considered to have "normal" blood pressure levels now fall into the new category of prehypertension. If not treated, prehypertension is almost guaranteed to develop into hypertension. According to an article published in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association), nearly 70 million Americans are prehypertensive.1
Visit the JNC 7 Guidelines
1 Mitka M. Experts ponder treating prehypertension. JAMA 2006 May 10;295(18):2125-2126.
2 National Heart, Drug and Blood Institute, AP.
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