Need and Purpose 

By utilizing global cardiovascular risk status in addition to BP levels to classify patients, clinicians will likely place a greater emphasis on identifying and managing hypertension at an earlier stage in the disease process. An increased understanding of the mechanisms underlying cardiovascular risk enables clinicians to better formulate management strategies aimed at reducing global risk. This activity will focus on new strategies to identify patients with elevated global risk and will emphasize the importance of reducing global risk along the entire CVD continuum.

Target Audience 

This activity is designed for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and other healthcare professionals seeing patients with hypertension, diabetes, and/or hyperlipidemia – alone or in combination. 

Objectives 

At the completion of this activity, participants should be better prepared to:

• Identify patients with elevated global cardiovascular risk and early-stage CVD;
• Provide a rationale for expanding the classification of hypertension to include CVD risk factors, disease markers, and target organ damage;
• Outline a plan for reducing global risk and for preventing or slowing the progression of CVD by intervening at numerous steps in the cardiovascular continuum including hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia.