First-line therapy for hypertension: different patients, different needs

Older hypertensive patients benefit from long term antihypertensive agents such as diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. Significant reductions in coronary events and mortality were achieved in various degrees among different races. These results were derived from different trials involving thousands of hypertensive men. Summaries of these trials are presented.
When you are treating a middle-aged or older patient with elevated blood pressure, you need the answers to three key questions: * What levels of blood pressure require treatment? * [...]