Systolic, diastolic, and combined hypertension. Differences between groups.

We used a classification system of systolic, diastolic, and combined (both systolic and diastolic) hypertension to ascertain whether there were significant differences between the groups. The study involved 182 consecutive outpatients for whom no secondary cause of hypertension could be found. There were 96 male and 86 female patients, with a mean age of 45.8 years. There were significant differences in age, with the systolic group being the oldest and the diastolic group the youngest. There were also differences in the prevalence of complications among the categories. Peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, and coronary artery disease were more prevalent in the systolic and combined groups, while diabetes was more prevalent in the systolic group. We conclude that there appear to be clinical differences between systolic, diastolic, and combined hypertension with respect to presenting characteristics and complications.