The Turkish Hypertension Consensus Report 2025

The Turkish Hypertension Consensus Report (THCR) was first published in 2015 and subsequently updated in 2019 to provide practical guidance for clinicians involved in the diagnosis and management of hypertension in outpatient clinical settings. The report was prepared as a joint initiative of the Turkish Society of Cardiology, the Turkish Society of Internal Medicine, the Turkish Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Turkish Society of Nephrology, and the Turkish Society of Hypertension and Renal Diseases. In recent years, substantial changes have occurred in the definition and staging of hypertension, and various professional organizations have proposed different blood pressure thresholds and cardiovascular risk scoring systems in their guidelines. These developments necessitated a further update of the consensus report. In addition to the original five societies, the Turkish Academic Geriatrics Society and the Turkish Association of Family Physicians contributed to the preparation of the 2025 update of the THCR. In the updated 2025 report, “normal blood pressure” was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) <120 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <80 mmHg, based on measurements obtained in outpatient clinical settings. SBP values of 120–139 mmHg or DBP values of 80–89 mmHg were classified as “elevated blood pressure,” whereas SBP ≥140 mmHg or DBP ≥90 mmHg was defined as “hypertension.” Hypertension was categorized as Stage 1 (SBP 140–159 mmHg or DBP 90–99 mmHg) and Stage 2 (SBP ≥160 mmHg or DBP ≥100 mmHg). In addition to office blood pressure measurements, the use of home and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the diagnosis of hypertension was emphasized. Laboratory investigations were updated and categorized into baseline tests and additional tests aimed at detecting target organ damage in hypertensive patients, and the diagnostic criteria for secondary hypertension were revised. Age- and frailty-based treatment thresholds and blood pressure targets were defined independently of comorbidities for three subgroups: patients aged 18–79 years (treatment threshold ≥140/90 mmHg; target 120–130/70–80 mmHg), patients aged ≥80 years (threshold ≥140 mmHg; target 130–140 mmHg), and frail patients (threshold ≥160 mmHg; target 140–150 mmHg). Immediate initiation of combination antihypertensive therapy was recommended for all patients with SBP/DBP ≥140/90 mmHg (Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension). In the elevated blood pressure treatment subgroup (SBP 130–139 mmHg, DBP 80–89 mmHg), antihypertensive therapy was recommended if blood pressure remained uncontrolled despite three months of lifestyle modification in the presence of diabetes mellitus (age >40 years, diabetes duration >10 years, diabetes-related complications, or additional risk factors such as obesity or active smoking), chronic kidney disease (albuminuria >30 mg/day or spot urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio >30 mg/g), established cardiovascular disease (coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure), stroke, or increased cardiovascular risk as assessed by SCORE2 (>15%) or SCORE2-OP (>20%). A stepwise combination treatment algorithm was provided based on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), calcium channel blockers (CCBs), thiazide or thiazide-like diuretics, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs). The algorithm includes initiation with low- or full-dose dual therapy (“ACEI or ARB + CCB” or “ACEI or ARB + diuretic”) as the first step; escalation to full-dose dual therapy (for those started on low doses) or to low- or full-dose triple therapy (ACEI or ARB + CCB + diuretic) as the second step; escalation to full-dose triple therapy as the third step; and use of quadruple therapy (ACEI or ARB + CCB + diuretic + MRA) as the fourth step. Monotherapy was recommended primarily in selected clinical situations, including patients aged >80 years, frail patients, those with elevated blood pressure, and patients with orthostatic hypotension. Overall, seven new sections were added to the 2025 report: frailty assessment in hypertension, resistant hypertension, isolated systolic hypertension, isolated diastolic hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, hypertensive emergencies, and recommendations addition, four supplementary files were provided, addressing key considerations for patients and physicians during manual aneroid and ambulatory blood pressure measurements, medications and substances that may increase blood pressure, definitions of frailty and fitness and their implications for antihypertensive therapy, and non-cardiovascular drugs that may lower blood pressure below target levels during antihypertensive treatment. Although the evidence-based recommendations presented in this report are applicable to most hypertensive outpatients, clinical decision-making by the treating physician remains essential for the delivery of individualized, patient-centered care.

Keywords: Hypertension, guideline, diagnosis, treatment.