Management of hypertension in adults: the 2013 French Society of Hypertension guidelines.

To improve the management of hypertension in the French population, the French Society of Hypertension has decided to issue a new set of guidelines that include the following practical characteristics: usefulness for clinical practice, short, easy-to-read format, comprehensive writing for non-physicians, wide dissemination among healthcare professionals and the hypertensive population, assessment of their impact among healthcare professionals and with regard to public health goals. These guidelines, so-called the appointments of the hypertensive patient, include 15 recommendations, divided into three chapters, according to the timing of the medical management: prior to treatment initiation, the initial treatment plan (first 6 months) and the long-term care plan (beyond 6 months). We hope that a vast dissemination of these simple guidelines will help to improve hypertension control in the French population from 50% to 70%, an objective expected to be achieved in 2015 in France.