[The best of hypertension in 2002]

This year, the writing of "Best of hypertension 2002" was completed by the coordinators of 4 working groups of the French Society of Hypertension, in various domains: (a) the working group on BAroreflex and VARiability (BAVAR): it appeared mandatory to evaluate the influence of calculation methods on the values of spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity, through an european study (The EuroBaVar collaboration study); (b) the working group on Blood Pressure Measurement, was first involved in the establishment of an international protocol for the validation of self blood pressure measurement, then validated, according to this procedure and in collaboration with the French Medicine Agency, several apparatus dedicated to the French market; (c) the working group on epidemiology: after the publication of the IHPAF study (Incidence de l'hypertension dans la population active française), which unmasked the influence of social and professional determinants on blood pressure control, this group settled down ancillary studies in French Indias, the INAPAG study (INcidence de l'hypertension artérielle dans la population Antilles-Guyane), and the PHAPPG study (Prévalence de l'hypertension artérielle dans la population précaire guadeloupéenne); finally (d) the working group for continuous medical education settled down a national diploma, entitled "Hypertension and renal and cardiovascular risk".