Guidelines from the British Hypertension Society

doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7440.593

BMJ 2004;328:593-594 (13 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7440.593

Editorial

Guidelines from the British Hypertension Society

The lower the pressure the better

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Hypertension represents a major public health concern. It affectsabout a billion people worldwide and is the most common treatablerisk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients aged over50. In the United Kingdom, the prevalence of hypertension (bloodpressure more than 140/90 mm Hg) has been estimated to be 42%in people aged 35 to 64.¹ Large benefits, in terms of avoidedcardiovascular disease, are expected from the treatment of hypertension.However, these benefits are low because the control of hypertensionremains poor in European countries—particularly in theUnited Kingdom, where it is controlled in only 10% of the hypertensivepopulation.²

These past years, a huge quantity of novel data has been publishedon the prominent role of lowering blood pressure in the reductionof cardiovascular disease and on the safety and effectivenessof antihypertensive drugs. Two guidelines for management ofhypertension, updating previous ones, were published in 2003.^3
4. . . [Full text of this article]

Stéphane Laurent, professor and head of department

Department of Pharmacology and Inserm EMI 0107, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, 20 rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France (stephane.laurent@egp.ap-hop-paris.fr)

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