Mortality patterns in treated hypertension: results from Sydney Hospital.

A group of hypertensive patients, diastolic blood pressure 110 mm Hg or more and under the age of 60 years at the time of presentation, has been followed at the Cardiovascular Clinic, Sydney Hospital since 1955. Changes in the causes of death have been observed during the twenty-year period of observation. Patients with severe and treatment-resistant hypertension are likely to die of cerebro-vascular accidents, patients presenting with advanced retinopathy with papilloedema and established renal failure die predominantly of uraemia. The fate of patients with moderate degrees of blood pressure elevation, without papilloedema and with normal renal function, seems to be to succumb to the complications of ischaemic heart disease.