Clinical trials report

Abstract

Introduction: There are various terminologies for hypertension and blood-pressure ranges. These have evolved through the years and with different guidelines. Regardless of the terminology, the condition tends to progress, in part related to genetics, aging, and associated environmental factors. Epidemiologic data clearly illustrate an association of prehypertension with other cardiovascular risk factors as well as increased risk for cardiovascular events [1–3]. For example, in the large Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT), involving young and middle-aged men, approximately 22% of the patients had blood pressures between 130 and 139 mm Hg systolic and 85 and 89 mm Hg diastolic, and had an age-adjusted relative risk of 1.61 and 2.14 for coronary events and strokes, respectively, compared to men with blood pressures below 130/80 mm Hg [4]. This raises the question of whether it is appropriate to treat prehypertension to prevent the development of true hypertension—that is, blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg.