Integrated cardiometabolic risk management in hypertension across low- and middle-income countries

Hypertension is a major modifiable cause of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal disease, with a disproportionate burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In these settings, limited awareness, diagnosis, treatment, and control frequently coexist with obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and chronic kidney disease, compounded by unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and restricted access to healthcare. Evidence from large-scale studies and implementation initiatives, including PURE, INTERSTROKE, HOPE-4, CATCH, and RE-HOPE, demonstrates that hypertension is rarely an isolated condition and that single-risk-factor strategies are insufficient to reduce the region’s cardiovascular and renal disease burden. Current approaches increasingly emphasize integrated cardiometabolic and kidney risk assessment, task-sharing with non-physician health workers, and primary care strengthening. However, important gaps remain regarding the scalability, affordability, cultural adaptability, and long-term effectiveness of these models across diverse LMIC health systems, and further research is needed to translate evidence-based interventions into equitable and sustainable care.This Research Topic aims to evaluate integrated strategies for preventing, detecting, stratifying, and managing cardiometabolic and kidney risk among people with hypertension in LMICs. It will examine how community-based and team-based care models can improve blood pressure control and reduce related risks, how hypertension services can be integrated with diabetes, obesity, and chronic kidney disease pathways, and how digital tools, biomarkers, and adherence-support strategies can strengthen risk stratification and treatment in resource-limited settings. Studies may address effectiveness, implementation, cost-effectiveness, equity, acceptability, health-system readiness, and patient-centered outcomes.To gather further insights into integrated cardiometabolic risk management for hypertension in LMICs, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:o Cardiometabolic-kidney risk stratification and personalized treatment pathways, including biomarkers of arterial stiffness and renal function in risk predictiono Community-based screening, referral, and task-sharing care models, including implementation of HEARTS, CATCH, RE-HOPE, and related frameworks, and the roles of community health workers, nurses, and pharmacistso Integration of hypertension management with diabetes, obesity, and chronic kidney disease services within primary care systemso Medication adherence, treatment intensification, and patient-centered approaches to sustained blood pressure and metabolic risk controlo Digital health, telemedicine, and predictive or AI-based risk-scoring tools for cardiometabolic-kidney risk detection and monitoring in LMIC health systemsWe encourage submissions of original research, clinical trials, implementation studies, and reviews that advance evidence-based, scalable, and locally adapted approaches to integrated hypertension and cardiometabolic care in low-resource settings worldwide. Topic editors: Patricio López-Jaramillo, WEIMAR KUNZ SEBBA BARROSO, Fernando Wyss, Carlos I Ponte-N Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/85178/integrated-cardiometabolic-risk-management-in-hypertension-across-low--and-middle-income-countries