What we do
NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh jointly run hypertension and lipid services across Lothian, discover what activities these services offer.
Hypertension Service
The clinics provide advice and information to patients, and to colleagues in both primary and secondary care who have been referred.
- European Society of Hypertension Excellence Centre
- Lifestyle issues such as diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption and medication adherence
- Home monitoring of BP and the purchase of affordable, validated devices
- Cardiovascular risk assessment
- Management of complex and treatment-resistant hypertension
- Management of hypertension and cardiovascular risk in linked conditions, such as renal disease and diabetes, pregnancy, Turner’s syndrome, arteritis and aortic dissection
- Exclusion, and if found treatment, of secondary causes of hypertension such as Conn’s syndrome, Cushing syndrome, phaeochromocytoma and renal artery stenosis
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Service
An Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Service is provided not only for the clinic patients, but also for colleagues in primary and secondary care by referral. For outpatient referrals, advice is provided by letter and in clinic the data informs clinical decision-making for patients.
Lipid Service
- Cardiovascular risk assessment and advice on lifestyle issues such as diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption
- Advice about treatment and complex patients
- Genetic screening for Familial Hypercholesterolaemia, and other inherited dyslipidaemias
- Close relationship with Paediatric Familial Hypercholesterolaemia clinic, and Adult Inherited Metabolic Disorders Clinic
- Assessment for PCSK9 inhibitor therapy
- Referral for plasma-exchange
Clinician guidance
Guidance is provided to clinicians on:
- Whether patients should start treatment (or in some cases stop treatment), guided by gold standard ambulatory BP measurement , as in NICE guidance
- Whether patients are adhering to treatment with urine drug adherence screening and directly observed therapy
GP advice
The clinic offers GPs advice about the management of patients with complex hypertension or lipid disease, which requires responses in writing. There is an e-advice line available through RefHelp to provide rapid responses to GPs.
