Guidelines for the treatment of mild hypertension.

Mild hypertension is defined as a state in which diastolic blood pressures ranging from 90 to 104 mm Hg are persistently observed. Systolic blood pressure is increasingly being recognised as a risk factor in its own right. Strictly speaking, the lessons learnt from the prospective trials in mild hypertension apply mainly to the stratum of mild diastolic hypertension. In this review, randomised placebo-controlled blind trials in uncomplicated mild hypertension (USPHS, ANBPS, MRC trials) will serve as the main data base from which to derive practical guidelines, in terms of benefits and risks, of early treatment.