Hypertension Highlights International Society of Hypertension, World Hypertension, and Three New Classes of Antihypertensive Drugs

Potent new statistics on the true burden of hypertension in the world today-- to be remembered and cited by all those concerned with the dimensions of this healthcare challenge-- were highlighted at the fourth World Hypertension Day. Also this month, important new US guidelines for home blood pressure (BP) monitoring (patients monitor glucose-- why not BP?) were published as well as the latest Blood Pressure Lowering Treatment Trialists Collaborative (BPLTTC) meta-analysis suggesting that it is the BP levels attained, not targeting different classes of drugs for different ages, that matters. And finally, encouraging results for no less than 3 potential new classes of antihypertensive agents, targeting new pathways? International Society of Hypertension Calls for Urgent Action to Reduce Global Burden of Blood Pressure-Related Disease A study carried out for the International Society Hypertension (ISH) has estimated that in 2001, blood pressure (BP)-related diseases were the cause o