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Hypertension is published by the American Heart Association. 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX
DOI: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000107251.49515.c2
2003;42;1206-1252; originally published online Dec 1, 2003; Hypertension
Education Program Coordinating Committee
Jackson T. Wright, Jr, Edward J. Roccella and the National High Blood Pressure
Green, Joseph L. Izzo, Jr, Daniel W. Jones, Barry J. Materson, Suzanne Oparil,
Aram V. Chobanian, George L. Bakris, Henry R. Black, William C. Cushman, Lee A.
Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure
Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection,
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SEVENTH REPORT OF THE JOINT NATIONAL
COMMITTEE ON PREVENTION, DETECTION,
EVALUATION, AND TREATMENT OF HIGH
BLOOD PRESSURE
Aram V. Chobanian, George L. Bakris, Henry R. Black, William C. Cushman, Lee A. Green,
Joseph L. Izzo, Jr, Daniel W. Jones, Barry J. Materson, Suzanne Oparil, Jackson T. Wright, Jr,
Edward J. Roccella, and the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee
Abstract—The National High Blood Pressure Education Program presents the complete Seventh Report of the Joint
National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Like its predecessors,
the purpose is to provide an evidence-based approach to the prevention and management of hypertension. The key
messages of this report are these: in those older than age 50, systolic blood pressure (BP) of greater than 140 mm Hg
is a more important cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor than diastolic BP; beginning at 115/75 mm Hg, CVD risk
doubles for each increment of 20/10 mm Hg; those who are normotensive at 55 years of age will have a 90% lifetime
risk of developing hypertension; prehypertensive individuals (systolic BP 120–139 mm Hg or diastolic BP 80–89
mm Hg) require health-promoting lifestyle modifications to prevent the progressive rise in blood pressure and CVD; for
uncomplicated hypertension, thiazide diuretic should be used in drug treatment for most, either alone or combined with
drugs from other classes; this report delineates specific high-risk conditions that are compelling indications for the use
of other antihypertensive drug classes (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers,
beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers); two or more antihypertensive medications will be required to achieve goal BP
(�140/90 mm Hg, or �130/80 mm Hg) for patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease; for patients whose BP
is more than 20 mm Hg above the systolic BP goal or more than 10 mm Hg above the diastolic BP goal, initiation of therapy
using two agents, one of which usually will be a thiazide diuretic, should be considered; regardless of therapy or care,
hypertension will be controlled only if patients are motivated to stay on their treatment plan. Positive experiences, trust in the
clinician, and empathy improve patient motivation and satisfaction. This report serves as a guide, and the committee continues
to recognize that the responsible physician’s judgment remains paramount. (Hypertension. 2003;42:1206–1252.)
For more than 3 decades, the National Heart, Lung, andBlood Institute (NHLBI) has administered the National
High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) Coordi-
nating Committee, a coalition of 39 major professional,
public, and voluntary organizations and 7 federal agencies.
One important function is to issue guidelines and advisories
designed to increase awareness, prevention, treatment, and
control of hypertension (high blood pressure).
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) have indicated that 50 million or more
Americans have high blood pressure (BP) warranting some
form of treatment.1,2 Worldwide prevalence estimates for
hypertension may be as much as 1 billion individuals, and
approximately 7.1 million deaths per year may be attributable
to hypertension.3 The World Health Organization reports that
suboptimal BP (�115 mm Hg SBP) is responsible for 62% of
cerebrovascular disease and 49% of ischemic heart disease,
with little variation by sex. In addition, suboptimal blood
pressure is the number one attributable risk for death through-
out the world.3
Considerable success has been achieved in the past in
meeting the goals of the program. The awareness of hyper-
tension has improved from a level of 51% of Americans in the
period 1976 to 1980 to 70% in 1999 to 2000 (Table 1). The
Received November 5, 2003; revision accepted November 6, 2003.
From Boston University School of Medicine (A.V.C.), Boston, Mass; Rush University Medical Center (G.L.B., H.R.B.), Chicago, Ill; Veterans Affairs
Medical Center (W.C.C.), Memphis, Tenn; University of Michigan (L.A.G.), Ann Arbor, Mich; State University of New York at Buffalo School of
Medicine (J.L.I. Jr.), Buffalo, NY; University of Mississippi Medical Center (D.W.J.), Jackson, Miss; University of Miami (B.J.M.), Miami, Fla;
University of Alabama at Birmingham (S.O.), Birmingham, Ala; Case Western Reserve University (J.T.W. Jr.), Cleveland, Ohio; National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute (E.J.R.), Bethesda, Md.
The executive committee, writing teams, and reviewers served as volunteers without remuneration.
Members of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Coordinating Committee are listed in the Appendix.
Correspondence to Edward J. Roccella, PhD, Coordinator, National High Blood Pressure Education Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 31, Room 4A10, 31 Center Drive MSC 2480, Bethesda, MD 20892. E-mail roccelle@nhlbi.nih.gov
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.
Hypertension is available at http://www.hypertensionaha.org DOI: 10.1161/01.HYP.0000107251.49515.c2
1206
JNC 7 – COMPLETE VERSION
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percentage of patients with hypertension receiving treatment
has increased from 31% to 59% in the same period, and the
percentage of persons with high BP controlled to below
140/90 mm Hg has increased from 10% to 34%. Between
1960 and 1991, median systolic BP (SBP) for individuals 60
to 74 years old declined by approximately 16 mm Hg (Figure
1). These changes have been associated with highly favorable
trends in the morbidity and mortality attributed to hyperten-
sion. Since 1972, age-adjusted death rates from stroke and
coronary heart disease (CHD) have declined by approxi-
mately 60% and 50%, respectively (Figures 2 and 3). These
benefits have occurred independent of gender, age, race, or
socioeconomic status. Within the last 2 decades, better
treatment of hypertension has been associated with a consid-
erable reduction in the hospital case-fatality rate for heart
failure (HF) (Figure 4). This information suggests that there
have been substantial improvements.
However, these improvements have not been extended to
the total population. Current control rates for hypertension in
the United States are clearly unacceptable. Approximately
30% of adults are still unaware of their hypertension, more
than 40% of individuals with hypertension are not on treat-
ment, and two thirds of hypertensive patients are not being
controlled to BP levels less than 140/90 mm Hg (Table 1).
Furthermore, the rates of decline of deaths from CHD and
stroke have slowed in the past decade. In addition, the
prevalence and hospitalization rates of HF, wherein the
majority of patients have hypertension before developing
heart failure, have continued to increase (Figures 5 and 6).
Moreover, there is an increasing trend in end-stage renal
disease (ESRD) by primary diagnosis. Hypertension is sec-
ond only to diabetes as the most common antecedent for this
condition (Figure 7). Undiagnosed, untreated, and uncon-
trolled hypertension clearly places a substantial strain on the
health care delivery system.
Methods
The decision to appoint a committee for The Seventh Report of the
Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and
Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) was based on 4 factors:
the publication of many new hypertension observational studies and
clinical trials since the last report was published in 19974; the need
for a new clear and concise guideline that would be useful to
clinicians; the need to simplify the classification of BP; and a clear
recognition that the JNC reports did not result in maximum benefit
to the public. This JNC report is presented in 2 separate publications.
The initial “Express” version, a succinct practical guide, was
published in the May 21, 2003, issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association.5 The current, more comprehensive report
provides a broader discussion and justification for the recommenda-
tions made by the committee. As with prior JNC reports, the
Figure 1. Smoothed weighted frequency distribution, median,
and 90th percentile of SBP for ages 60 to 74 years, United
States, 1960 to 1991. Source: Burt et al. Hypertension
1995;26:60–69. Erratum in: Hypertension 1996;27:1192.
Figure 2. Percentage decline in age-adjusted mortality rates for
stroke by gender and race: United States, 1970 to 2000.
Source: Prepared by T. Thom, National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute from Vital Statistics of the United States, National Cen-
ter for Health Statistics. Death rates are age-adjusted to the
2000 US census population.
Figure 3. Percentage decline in age-adjusted mortality rates for
CHD by gender and race: United States, 1970 to 2000. Source:
Prepared by T. Thom, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
from Vital Statistics of the United States, National Center for
Health Statistics. Death rates are age-adjusted to the 2000 US
census population.
TABLE 1. Trends in Awareness, Treatment, and Control of
High Blood Pressure 1976–2000
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, %
1976–80257 1988–91257 1991–944 1999–20005
Awareness 51 73 68 70
Treatment 31 55 54 59
Control* 10 29 27 34
Percentage of adults aged 18 to 74 years with systolic blood pressure (SBP)
of 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90 mm Hg or
greater, or taking antihypertensive medication.
*SBP below 140 mm Hg and DBP below 90 mm Hg and on antihypertensive
medication.
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committee recognizes that the responsible physician’s judgment is
paramount in managing his or her patients.
Since the publication of the JNC 6 report, the NHBPEP Coordi-
nating Committee, chaired by the director of the NHLBI, has
regularly reviewed and discussed studies on hypertension. To con-
duct this task, the Coordinating Committee is divided into 4
subcommittees: Science Base; Long Range Planning; Professional,
Patient, and Public Education; and Program Organization. The
subcommittees work together to review the hypertension scientific
literature from clinical trials, epidemiology, and behavioral science.
In many instances, the principal investigator of the larger studies has
presented the information directly to the Coordinating Committee.
The committee reviews are summarized and posted on the NHLBI
web site.6 This ongoing review process keeps the committee apprised
of the current state of the science, and the information is also used to
develop program plans for future activities, such as continuing
education.
During fall 2002, the NHBPEP Coordinating Committee chair
solicited opinions regarding the need to update the JNC 6 report. The
entire Coordinating Committee membership provided, in writing, a
detailed rationale explaining the necessity for updating JNC 6,
outlined critical issues, and provided concepts to be addressed in the
new report. Thereafter, the NHBPEP Coordinating Committee chair
appointed the JNC 7 chair and an Executive Committee derived from
the Coordinating Committee membership. The Coordinating Com-
mittee members served on 1 of 5 JNC 7 writing teams, which
contributed to the writing and review of the document.
The concepts for the new report identified by the NHBPEP
Coordinating Committee membership were used to create the report
outline. On the basis of these critical issues and concepts, the
Executive Committee developed relevant medical subject headings
(MeSH) terms and keywords to further review the scientific litera-
ture. These MeSH terms were used to generate MEDLINE searches
that focused on English-language, peer-reviewed scientific literature
from January 1997 through April 2003. Various systems of grading
the evidence were considered, and the classification scheme used in
JNC 6 and other NHBPEP clinical guidelines was selected.4,7–10 This
scheme classifies studies according to a process adapted from Last
and Abramson (see the section Scheme Used for Classification of the
Evidence).11
In reviewing the exceptionally large body of research literature in
hypertension, the Executive Committee focused its deliberations on
Figure 5. Prevalence of CHF by race and gender, ages 25 to
74: United States, 1971 to 1974 to 1999 to 2000. Age-adjusted
to 2000 US census population. White and African American in
1999 to 2000 excludes Hispanics. Source: National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute. Morbidity and Mortality: 2002 Chart Book
on Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Disease. Accessed Sep-
tember 2003. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/docs/cht-
book.htm and 1999 to 2000 unpublished data computed by M.
Wolz and T. Thom, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
June 2003.
Figure 6. Hospitalization rates for congestive heart failure, ages
45 to 64 and 65�: United States, 1971 to 2000. Source:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Morbidity and Mortal-
ity: 2002 Chart Book on Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Dis-
ease. Chart 3–35. Accessed September 2003.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/docs/cht-book.htm.
Figure 7. Trends in incident rates of ESRD, by primary diagno-
sis (adjusted for age, gender, race). Disease categories were
treated as being mutually exclusive. Source: United States
Renal Data System. 2002. Figure 1.14. Accessed September,
2003. http://www.usrds.org/slides.htm.
Figure 4. Hospital case-fatality rates for congestive heart failure,
ages �65 and 65�: United States, 1981 to 2000. Source:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Morbidity and Mortal-
ity: 2002 Chart Book on Cardiovascular, Lung, and Blood Dis-
ease. Chart 3–36. Accessed September 2003.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/docs/cht-book.htm.
1208 Hypertension December 2003
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evidence pertaining to outcomes of importance to patients and with
effects of sufficient magnitude to warrant changes in medical
practice (“patient oriented evidence that matters” [POEMs]).12,13
Patient-oriented outcomes include not only mortality but also other
outcomes that affect patients’ lives and well-being, such as sexual
function, ability to maintain family and social roles, ability to work,
and ability to carry out activities of daily living. These outcomes are
strongly affected by nonfatal stroke, HF, coronary heart disease, and
renal disease; hence, these outcomes were considered along with
mortality in the committee’s evidence-based deliberations. Studies of
physiological end points (disease-oriented evidence [DOEs]) were
used to address questions where POEMs were not available.
The Coordinating Committee began the process of developing the
JNC 7 Express report in December 2002, and the report was
submitted to the Journal of the American Medical Association in
April 2003. It was published in an electronic format on May 14,
2003, and in print on May 21, 2003. During this time, the Executive
Committee met on 6 occasions, 2 of which included meetings with
the entire Coordinating Committee. The writing teams also met by
teleconference and used electronic communications to develop the
report. Twenty-four drafts were created and reviewed repeatedly. At
its meetings, the Executive Committee used a modified nominal
group process14 to identify and resolve issues. The NHBPEP
Coordinating Committee reviewed the penultimate draft and pro-
vided written comments to the Executive Committee. In addition, 33
national hypertension leaders reviewed and commented on the
document. The NHBPEP Coordinating Committee approved the
JNC 7 Express report. To complete the longer JNC 7 version, the
Executive Committee members met via teleconferences and in
person and circulated sections of the larger document via e-mail. The
sections were assembled and edited by the JNC 7 chair and were
circulated among the Coordinating Committee members for review and
comment. The JNC 7 chair synthesized the comments, and the longer
version was submitted to the journal Hypertension in November, 2003.
Lifetime Risk of Hypertension
Hypertension is an increasingly important medical and public
health issue. The prevalence of hypertension increases with
advancing age to the point where more than half of people
aged 60 to 69 years old and approximately three-fourths of
those aged 70 years and older are affected.1 The age-related
rise in SBP is primarily responsible for an increase in both
incidence and prevalence of hypertension with increasing
age.15
Whereas the short-term absolute risk for hypertension is
conveyed effectively by incidence rates, the long-term risk is
best summarized by the lifetime risk statistic, which is the
probability of developing hypertension during the remaining
years of life (either adjusted or unadjusted for competing
causes of death). Framingham Heart Study investigators
recently reported the lifetime risk of hypertension to be
approximately 90% for men and women who were nonhy-
pertensive at 55 or 65 years old and survived to age 80 to 85
(Figure 8).16 Even after adjusting for competing mortality, the
remaining lifetime risks of hypertension were 86 to 90% in
women and 81 to 83% in men.
The impressive increase of BP to hypertensive levels with
age is also illustrated by data indicating that the 4-year rates
Figure 9. Ischemic heart disease (IHD)
mortality rate in each decade of age ver-
sus usual blood pressure at the start of
that decade. Source: Reprinted with per-
mission from Elsevier (The Lancet,
2002;360:1903–1913).
Figure 8. Residual lifetime risk of hyper-
tension in women and men aged 65
years. Cumulative incidence of hyperten-
sion in 65-year-old women and men.
Data for 65-year-old men in the 1952 to
1975 period are truncated at 15 years
since there were few participants in this
age category who were followed up
beyond this time interval. Source: JAMA
2002;287:1003–1010. Copyright 2002,
American Medical Association. All rights
reserved.
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of progression to hypertension are 50% for those 65 years and
older with BP in the 130 to 139/85 to 89 mm Hg range and
26% for those with BP in the 120 to 129/80 to 84 mm Hg
range.17
Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Risk
Data from observ