Blood pressure control in patients with comorbidities.

Hypertension frequently coexists with obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or the metabolic syndrome; their association with cardiovascular disease is well established. The identification and management of these risk factors is an important part of the overall management of hypertensive patients. Because patients in these special populations are more predisposed to target organ damage (TOD), stringent targets for blood pressure (BP) control have been set in clinical guidelines. However, clinical trial and real-life evidence suggest that these targets are difficult to achieve. Patients with these comorbidities are more likely to require combination therapy, yet physicians are often reluctant to adjust the number and doses of medications to achieve target BP. There is a particular need for effective 24-hour BP control in these patients, due to the increased likelihood of nondipping status, which is a risk factor for TOD and mortality. Not all available antihypertensives are equally effective in controlling BP over 24 hours, and some may exacerbate underlying metabolic abnormalities.