Rationalizing the treatment of hypertension

Management of hypertension in this country is confounded by continual changes in recommended target blood pressure (BP) goals and a nonhomogeneous patient population who have a variety of demographic and clinical characteristics that influence treatment. This paper focuses on three major elements in managing hypertension: BP and the importance of reducing it to acceptably low levels; concomitant risk factors or cardiovascular and renal target involvement; and drug therapy that may confer prognostic advantages beyond those predicted by BP effects.