Guidelines for new hypertension treatment methods

Hypertension Research https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-026-02649-x EDITORIAL Guidelines for new hypertension treatment methods Masaki Mogi1 Satoshi Hoshide2 Kazuomi Kario2 ● ● Keywords Renal denervation Resistant hypertension Guidelines ● ● 1234567890();,: 1234567890();,: Received: 1 April 2026 / Accepted: 7 April 2026 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japanese Society of Hypertension 2026 Based on the final consensus statement issued by the Joint Committee on Renal Denervation (RDN), the Japanese Society of Hypertension (JSH), the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS) and the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT) have jointly issued the “Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Renal Denervation Systems in Japan” [1]. These guidelines provide direction for the use of RDN systems covered by health insurance in Japan starting March 1, 2026. They ensure that a multidisciplinary Hypertension Renal Denervation Treatment (HRT) team, composed of specialists, uses standardized checklists and procedural manuals to appropriately assess eligibility for treatment in cases of hypertension that is difficult to manage, and that the procedure is performed by appropriate facilities and specialists. These guidelines are essential for collecting appropriate data and fostering further development by strictly defining policies and methods for this new treatment aimed at overcoming refractory hypertension that has been difficult to treat until now. These guidelines also discuss the evidence supporting its adoption, the recommendation for RDN in Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension 2025 (JSH2025) [2], international clinical data and regulatory status, and “true resistant hypertension,” while * Masaki Mogi 1 Department of Pharmacology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Tohon, Japan 2 Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Shimotsuke, Japan also touching on the benefits of RDN, the role of hypertension centers, and cost-effectiveness. As RDN based on these guidelines becomes widely implemented in Japan, the effectiveness of RDN and the conditions for which it is most appropriate are expected to become clearer. Compliance with ethical standards Conflict of interest The authors declare no competing interests. Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. References 1. Kario K, Kai H, Rakugi H, Hoshide S, Node K, Katsurada K, et al. Guidelines for the appropriate use of renal denervation systems in Japan: endorsed by the Japanese Society of Hypertension (JSH), the Japanese Association of Cardiovascular Intervention and Therapeutics (CVIT), and the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS), and their positioning in the JSH 2025 guidelines. Hypertens Res. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-026-02629-1. 2. Ohya Y, Arakawa K, Arata N, Arima S, Arima H, Asayama K, et al. The Japanese Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension 2025 (JSH2025). Hypertens Res. 2026;49:9–235.  (...truncated)