Table 1.
| Year | JNC Report | Main Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | JNC 1 |
No systolic blood pressure (SBP) in its classification system; Drug therapy was recommended for patients with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥105 mm Hg; Therapy “could be considered” even for patients with DBP between 90 mm Hg and 104 mm Hg; First‐line medication: thiazide‐type diuretic |
| 1980 | JNC 2 |
No SBP in the new classification system; Introduced the terms “mild,” “moderate,” and “severe hypertension” |
| 1984 | JNC 3 |
Addressed SBP, only as isolated systolic hypertension (≥160 mm Hg) or borderline isolated systolic hypertension; The first report recognizing the terms “high normal” when SBP was <140 mm Hg and that these patients could be at “some risk”; β‐Blockers were added for first‐line medication |
| 1988 | JNC 4 | Added angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium channel blockers as initial therapy options; |
| 1993 | JNC 5 |
SBP was included in a better‐defined classification system; The first report that established the “high‐risk” patient concept (for patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease) |
| 1997 | JNC 6 |
Suggested that any of the seven types of antihypertensive drugs could be used for initial treatment; Reduced the number of BP stages from four to three; Settled the term “goal BP”; Introduced the term “compelling indication” |
| 2003 | JNC 7 |
Classification reduced the hypertension stages to two; Introduced the term “prehypertension” for patients with BP <140/90 mm Hg; Reduced the BP goal to ≤130/80 mm Hg; Treatment was stratified in accordance with target organ damage and high‐risk populations; Highlighted the importance of lifestyle changes; First‐line therapy recommendations were consistent with various types of populations with compelling indications |