Rationale for combination therapy in the management of hypertension.

Combination drug therapy in the management of hypertension has been used for many years. Recent recommendations of the Seventh Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure and the results of several new multiple-drug trials have focused on using the approach as initial therapy in many hypertensive patients. Results of these long-term outcome trials, as well as short-term and smaller studies, indicate the advantage of multiple-drug therapy in the management of hypertension.