I. Background Issues in Hypertension.- 1 Studies Justifying the Use of Treatment to Prevent Cardiovascular Events.- 2 Effects of Aging on Blood Pressure.- 3 Effects of Race on Blood Pressure.- 4 Genetics in Hypertension.- 5 Sodium and Other Dietary Factors.- 6 Role of Stress in Development of Hypertension.- 7 Neuroendocrine Factors: Role of the Sympathetic Nervous and Renin Angiotensin Systems.- 8 Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Diastolic Dysfunction.- 9 Role of the Endothelium in Hypertension.- II. Diagnosis and Special Tests.- 10 Systolic, Diastolic, Mean, or Pulse Pressure: Which Is the Best Predictor of Hypertensive Cardiovascular Risk?.- 11 Manual Blood Pressure Measurement—Still the Gold Standard: Why and How to Measure Blood Pressure the Old Fashioned Way.- 12 Initial Routine Tests for Diagnosis and Risk Stratification of the Patient with Hypertension: What Is Mandatory?.- 13 When to Suspect Secondary Hypertension.- 14 Evaluation of Renal Function and Proteinuria.- 15 Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring.- 16 Arterial Compliance in Hypertension.- III. Principles of Treatment.- 17 Starting Hypertension Treatment: Setting Targets.- 18 Choosing the First Agent.- 19 Managing an Inadequate Response to the First Agent: Changing Doses or Drugs, Adding Drugs.- 20 Rationale of Low-Dose Combination Therapy in Cardiovascular Risk Management.- 21 How to Monitor Progress in Hypertensive Patients.- 22 Problems of Treatment Compliance and Polypharmacy.- 23 Should Treatment Differ in African-American and Caucasian Patients?.- 24 Measuring the Benefits of Antihypertensive Treatment.- IV. Major Hypertensive Drug Classes.- 25 Diuretics in Hypertension Therapy.- 26 ?-Adrenergic Blocker Treatment of Hypertension: Pharmacodynamics and Guide to Patient Selection.- 27 CalciumAntagonists.- 28 Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors.- 29 The Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers.- 30 Selective ?1 — Blockers.- 31 Centrally Acting Antihypertensive Drugs.- V. Solving Problems in Hypertension Management.- 32 The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III: How Are We Doing with Blood Pressure Control?.- 33 Lipid Abnormalities and Hypertension.- 34 Diabetes and Hypertension.- 35 Treatment of Hypertensive Patients with Chronic Renal Insufficiency.- 36 Treating Angina Pectoris in Hypertension.- 37 Hypertension and Its Treatment in Concomitant Conditions: Degenerative Joint Disease, Depression, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease.- 38 Cognitive Disorders and Dementia in Hypertension: Implications for Treatment.- 39 Refractory Hypertension.- 40 Hypertensive Emergencies.- 41 Referring to Hypertension Experts: The Hypertension Consultant.

Hypertension is a major medical problem, almost certainly the most common chronic disease in the urban world, one afflicting at least 20-25% of patients seen in any practitioner's office. Research into the control of blood pressure and the pathogenesis of hypertension is progressing rapidly, and a wide range of treatment choices is now available. In Hypertension Medicine, Michael Weber, MD, and a panel of distinguished authorities provide a comprehensive practical survey focusing on the key issues that determine the who, when, and how of hypertension management. Emphasis is given to the practical issues of management: how to select treatments that optimize results for even the most difficult-to-treat hypertensive patient and what to do to solve the major concomitant problems. Also examined in detail are the principal underlying mechanisms of hypertension, particularly those that help explain treatment choices, as well as the best techniques for successfully evaluating patients before treatment. Authoritative and eminently readable, Hypertension Medicine constitutes a highly practical account of the challenging issues faced daily by family physicians, internists, and general practitioners in the evaluation and optimal management of hypertension.