Prevention of some complications of essential hypertension

The major reason for treating hypertension is to avoid complications of the disease as it affects "target organs." Treatment of the blood pressure is not the only way to avoid these complications, but it is part of the total practice of preventive medicine. Hypertension lasts for several decades in most patients, and there is time to destroy the patient through target organ effects or to save the patient through treatment. Diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other illnesses and operations pose special hazards to the patient with hypertension. Patients take many other drugs as well, and some of them react adversely with antihypertension medicines. Complications from blood pressure drugs involve nearly every organ system, more than most physicians can remember. These may be dose-related and can often be avoided by using smaller doses of more than one drug. Certain problems occur so frequently that they should be learned well. The physician should bear in mind that whatever develops may be due to the antihypertensive therapy. On the whole, however, medications for treatment of hypertension are remarkably safe and free from side effects.