Health professionals who treat high blood pressure

The number of doctors and other providers involved in treating your high blood pressure will depend on how high your blood pressure is and whether it has caused other problems.

You may need a team of both generalists and specialists to help you manage your treatment plan.

Professionals who treat high blood pressure

Team members	Who are they?	What is their role ?	When would you see them?
Primary care doctor	Internist Family doctor	To manage your care	Regular visits (about 2–4 each year)
Cardiologist	Heart specialist	To treat heart problems	Regular visits or whenever heart failure or other heart problems happen
Other doctors	Nephrologist (kidney specialist) Cardiovascular surgeon (heart surgeon) Neurologist (brain and nerve specialist)	To provide special care when high blood pressure causes other problems	Whenever other problems arise
Nurse educator	Specific type of nurse	To educate people with health conditions, help them to take control	Whenever self-care, diet, or medicines need to be explained
Registered dietitian, nutritionist	Expert in diet and nutrition	To help you plan and maintain a healthy diet	When you need help creating a diet to help lower your high blood pressure
Exercise physiologist	Expert in improving health through exercise	To help you plan and maintain a healthy exercise program	When you need help creating an exercise program to help lower your high blood pressure

Primary care physician

Your primary care doctor will often be the treatment coordinator. This includes:

• Diagnosing your condition.
• Checking you regularly.
• Working with you to plan an overall program of care, including lifestyle changes and medicine.
• Guiding you toward specialized care if you need it.
• Regularly reviewing your progress with lifestyle changes and taking your medicines properly.
• Ordering lab tests now and then to check for long-term damage to your organs.

Cardiologist

Your primary care doctor may have you see a cardiologist if you start to have problems or if your doctor thinks it would be helpful. You would definitely see a cardiologist for chest pain or for follow-up after a heart attack.

Other specialists

If your high blood pressure causes other problems, you may need to see other specialists, such as:

• A nephrologist (kidney specialist), if you have kidney disease.
• A cardiovascular surgeon, if you need heart surgery.
• A neurologist, if you have a stroke or other problems that affect your nerves or brain.
• An ophthalmologist, if you start to have eye problems.

Nurse educator

A nurse educator may help your primary care doctor coordinate your care. Nurse educators usually have more time to devote to your care, educate you about your condition, and keep track of your treatment.

Dietitian

Eating a low-salt, low-fat diet can help lower your blood pressure. A dietitian or nutritionist can help you choose and stay with this kind of diet.

Exercise physiologist or physical therapist

Getting more active may help lower your blood pressure. An exercise physiologist or physical therapist can help you create an exercise program that fits your needs. He or she can also help you if you have trouble staying with your program.

Mental health professional

Many people with chronic diseases such as high blood pressure have depression or other mental conditions. In some cases, you may have been depressed to begin with. Mental health professionals can also help you manage stress, which is important in controlling your blood pressure.