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The World Health Organization goal's to reduce mortality due to chronic non-communicable diseases by 2% per year demands a huge effort from member countries. This challenge for health professionals requires global political action on implementation of social measures, with cost-effective population interventions to reduce chronic non-communicable diseases and their risk factors. Systemic arterial hypertension is highly prevalent in Portuguese-speaking countries, and is a major risk factor for complications such as stroke, acute myocardial infarction and chronic kidney disease, rivaling dyslipidemia and obesity in importance for the development of atherosclerotic disease. Joint actions to implement primary prevention measures can reduce outcomes related to hypertensive disease, especially ischemic heart disease and stroke. It is essential to ensure the implementation of guidelines for the management of systemic hypertension via a continuous process involving educational actions, lifestyle changes and guaranteed access to pharmacological treatment., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)