Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Award Session: Biomarkers of Hypertension and HF Risk

At the AHA Scientific Sessions, I presented findings from our study at the Elizabeth Barrett-Connor Award Session, and I’m extremely grateful for having been named the recipient of that esteemed award. As background for our study, the 2017 AHA/ACC guidelines for blood pressure control emphasize use of a cardiovascular risk-driven approach to guide treatment of high blood pressure in the moderately elevated range (120-140) and recommend using the 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk to identify individuals who might benefit from anti-hypertensive therapies. However, the greatest benefit of intensive blood pressure control lies in the reduction of HF risk, which may be underestimated by the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk assessment calculator. In contrast, biomarkers of cardiac injury and stress, such as high-sensitivity troponin and NT-ProBNP, are strong predictors of heart failure risk. The utility of these biomarkers in identifying individuals with moderately elevated blood pressure who might benefit from intensive blood pressure control in the context of the current guideline-recommended cardiovascular risk-based approach is not well established.