"I've suddenly got high blood pressure!" What impact will the lowering of diagnostic criteria for hypertension have on the medical device market?
"I'm suddenly hypertensive!" "The post-90s are already afraid to read medical reports"
Recently, an adjustment in the diagnostic threshold for hypertension has sparked concern among the public and the market.
On 13 January, the National Centre for Cardiovascular Diseases, the Chinese Medical Association, the Hypertension Specialty Committee of the Chinese Medical Association, the Cardiovascular Disease Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and the Hypertension Specialty Committee of the Cross-Straits Medical and Health Exchange Association jointly released the Chinese Clinical Practice Guidelines on Hypertension (hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"). According to the new Guidelines, the diagnostic criteria for hypertension in Chinese adults has been lowered from ≥140/90mmHg to ≥130/80mmHg (millimetres of mercury). This means that people whose blood pressure was in the range of 130/80mmHg to 140/90mmHg will be moved from the "normal hypertensive high value" group to the hypertensive group.
Statistics show that this 10mmHg adjustment change may mean an increase of over 200 million people with hypertension in China. The Guidelines point out that under the diagnostic criteria of ≥140 /90mmHg, the crude prevalence of hypertension among adults aged 18 and above in China was 27.9% between 2012 and 2015, and the estimated number of adults with hypertension was about 245 million. Cai Jun, the initiator and chief expert of the Guidelines and professor at the National Cardiovascular Center/Fu Wai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, was quoted in the media as showing that the number of hypertensive patients in China will increase to 490 million after the standard for hypertension drops to 130/80mmHg.
An expert in the field said, "The downward adjustment of diagnostic criteria reflects the concept of moving the line of prevention forward and strengthening initial prevention, otherwise we will miss the critical time to reduce the harm of cardiovascular diseases and other diseases caused by hypertension."
For the public, the increase in diagnostic criteria allows more people to be included in the category of hypertensive patients at an early stage and take early steps to prevent cardiovascular disease. For the market, the incremental increase of over 200 million hypertensive patients means an expansion of the related market.
Some tertiary care doctors in the industry say that the extra patients do not bring big benefits to the antihypertensive drug market. On the one hand, not all hypertension patients need to take medication, on the other hand, the price of antihypertensive drugs has been low to a few cents per tablet after collection, and most patients without other medical conditions can stabilize their blood pressure with one tablet a day; however, after the diagnostic criteria are lowered, more people need to keep an eye on the development of the disease, so there may be more demand for blood pressure monitors.
Electronic blood pressure monitors may see a boon
In terms of blood pressure testing, the new guidelines recommend that adults use standardised and validated electronic blood pressure monitors to measure blood pressure, standardised blood pressure measurement methods and previously consistent, in-office blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure and home self-measured blood pressure can all be used as a basis for the diagnosis and assessment of hypertension. And when diagnosing hypertension, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is preferred. In outcome assessment and follow-up, home self-measured blood pressure is preferred.
Some experts predict that home electronic blood pressure monitor may usher in a favorable, and the stock market often has the keenest insight into the wind direction.
Electronic blood pressure monitor to maintain high growth
China Research Institute report shows that in recent years, China's electronic sphygmomanometer production to maintain high growth, the average annual growth rate of 25% or more in the past four years. Electronic blood pressure monitor as an effective tool for blood pressure measurement, not only for hypertension patients, but also for the prevention of hypertension, at any time to detect the state of the body of the crowd, therefore, with the residents of health awareness, electronic blood pressure monitor consumer population is also expanding.
And the future of home blood pressure monitor will have what kind of market trend, we will continue to pay attention to.
