Evidence suggesting that mild hypertension need not be treated

Clinical practice should be based on the results of good clinical trials, not on hypotheses generated from epidemiological data. For many reasons it was difficult to translate the results of early hypertension trials into clinical practice, but from recent trials it is clear that the main benefit that can be expected from treating mild hypertension is the reduction in strokes. The benefit to an individual patient will be very small, and will be obtained at a price of adverse effects from treatment. A patient can now be allowed to decide for himself whether treatment is worthwhile.