US Adults Eligible for New Blood Pressure Drugs, Many Remain Untreated

New guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology expand eligibility for hypertension medication to roughly 22‑23 million U.S. adults. The update introduces the PREVENT risk‑prediction model, which better accounts for kidney and metabolic factors when assessing cardiovascular risk.

Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data shows that about 43 % of those newly eligible are not receiving any treatment—around 9.7 million people. Researchers estimate that increasing use of these drugs could prevent up to 200,000 premature deaths over the next decade, highlighting a major public‑health gap.

The findings underscore the need for clinicians and policymakers to address barriers to medication uptake and to promote broader implementation of the revised hypertension recommendations.