Patterns of Hypertension and their Implications for Therapy.

IN GENERAL PRACTICE, THREE PATTERNS OF HYPERTENSIVE DISEASE REQUIRE SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: mild hypertension, hypertension in the elderly, and hypertensive patients with additional cardiovascular risk factors. The success of treatment must be balanced against its cost, which includes impaired quality of life. The aim should be to save lives without compromising lifestyles.Hypercholesterolemia is more often found in hypertensive than in normotensive patients. A diagnostic workup of the lipid status and, if hyperlipidemia is diagnosed, its aggressive treatment are as important as the treatment of hypertension itself. Recent evidence shows that smoking has a negative effect on cardiovascular complications of hypertension and can entirely eliminate potential beneficial effects of some forms of antihypertensive treatment.