Treatment of Hypertension

In the past few years there has been a great upsurge of interest in the problem of essential hypertension. This has been stimulated by several comparatively recent advances, the most important being the demon- stration that many if not most of the cOInplications of hypertension can be prevented with adequate and effective medical treatment. Because of the extremely high prevalence of hypertension (roughly one in six or seven adults) effective preventive treatment will have a tremendous im- pact on national health and longevity. This new approach to the problem of hypertension differs markedly from the old, which concentrated on a meticulous and expensive search for curable forms ofhypertension representing at most 5% ofthe hyper- tensive population. Today, however, we are facing up to a much greater challenge. Now many patients with hypertension, not just a selected frac- tion, are possible candidates for treatment. Therapeutic decisions need to be made which will affect the health and well-being of millions of people. This change has been truly revolutionary as, for the first time, it has become possible to influence a leading cardiovascular disorder therapeu- tically and prevent its complications. This volume presents the current thought ofleading experts in the new movement in hypertension. Their purpose is to supply the most recent in- formation in the field in such a way that it can be applied by the physi- cian in practice. In fact, this book is intended as a guide to the new management ofhypertension.