Hypertension: aetiology and pharmacological treatment

Cesare Gorruso

This book is intended, with due humility and lack of presumption, to give simple, but concise information on ‘Hypertension’, one the most widely diffused diseases of the affluent society. It is a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, aneurysms of the arteries (e.g. aortic aneurysm), peripheral arterial disease and is a cause of chronic kidney disease. Dietary and lifestyle changes can improve blood pressure control and decrease the risk of associated health complications, although drug treatment is often necessary in people for whom lifestyle changes prove ineffective or insufficient. Actually, the book contains descriptions of the major drug groups commonly used to treat this disease and information on the use, effects, and risk associated with each. Yet, it is not intended to complement and reinforce the advice of the doctors.