Next Steps

Follow-up

The most important element in the management of high blood pressure is follow-up care.

• Check with your health care provider periodically to make sure that your blood pressure is in the recommended range. If it is not, your treatment should be adjusted.
  
  
• If you are diabetic or have had a prior heart attack or stroke, your doctor may want your blood pressure lowered to 125-130 mm HG to prevent recurrent events.
  
  
• With aging and progression of the process of hardening of the arteries, your systolic blood pressure may creep up with time. A treatment that once worked well may no longer work as well. Your drug dosage may need to be changed or you may be prescribed a new medication.
  
  
• At your follow-up visits, you should be screened for damage to the heart, eyes, brain, kidney, and peripheral arteries that may be related to high blood pressure.
  
  
• Follow-up visits are a good time to let your health care provider know about any side effects you are having from your medication. He or she will have suggestions for coping with side effects or may change your treatment.
  
  
• Follow-up visits are a great opportunity for monitoring for other associated risk factors, such as high cholesterol and obesity.

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