title: [Incidence, natural history and complications of chronic arterial hypertension (author's transl)].
abstract: Representative studies in Switzerland and the Federal Republic of Germany show that 12 to 25% of the adult population have elevated blood pressure values of 160/95 mm Hg or above. The incidence of hypertension increases with age. Approximately 2 to 6% of high school students have hypertension whereas 30 to 50% of persons older than 60 years may be found to have elevated blood pressure. In consideration of selected epidemiologic studies, it is apparent that even mild degrees of hypertension increase mortality and the risk of development of cardiovascular disease. The superimposition of hypertension on additional risk factors renders the probability of disease excessively high. However the rationale for antihypertensive treatment is not based on the relation between blood pressure levels and life expectancy or morbidity risk, but on controlled therapeutic trials showing that blood pressure reduction at all levels of hypertension leads to decreased incidence of cardiovascular disease and reduction of mortality.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005860:Germany, West; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013557:Switzerland
vernacular_title: Häufigkeit, Verlauf und Komplikationen der chronischen arteriellen Hypertonie.