Hypertension Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hypertension, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Systemic hypertension.

Elliott WJ

RUSH Medical College, RUSH University Medical Center, Chicago, USA.

Hypertension is a growing public health problem worldwide. Only 37% of American hypertensives currently have their blood pressures controlled. Hypertension is traditionally diagnosed in the medical office, but both home and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring can help. Lifestyle modifications are recommended for everyone who has higher than "normal" blood pressure (<120/80 mm Hg). Voluminous clinical trial data support beginning drug therapy with low-dose chlorthalidone, unless the patient has a specific indication for a different drug. Additional drugs (typically in the sequence, angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker, calcium antagonist, beta-blocker, alpha-blocker, aldosterone antagonist, direct vasodilator, and centrally acting alpha(2)-agonist) can be added to achieve the blood pressure goal (usually <140/90 mm Hg, but <130/80 mm Hg for diabetics and those with chronic kidney disease). Special circumstances exist for treatment of hypertension in pregnancy, in childhood, in the elderly, and in both extremes of blood pressure (pre-hypertension or hypertensive emergencies).

Published 2 April 2007 in Curr Probl Cardiol, 32(4): 201-59.
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