title: Drug treatment of essential hypertension: the case for initial combination therapy.
abstract: Essential hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the Western world, yet it remains poorly controlled. Single drug-antihypertensive therapy is unsuccessful in up to half of all patients with hypertension; although lack of adherence may account for a proportion of this, there is evidence of considerable variation in the response of different hypertensive patients to different drug classes. A number of algorithms have been proposed in the literature, with a view to predicting an individual's response to different antihypertensive agents. However, even using such algorithms, hypertension control remains problematic, and they are frequently difficult to apply in everyday clinical practice. Initiation of treatment with low-dose combination antihypertensive therapy, using a drug which reduces total body sodium and/or volume in combination with a drug which blocks the renin-angiotensin system, provides an effective and easily applicable means to improve hypertension control in the primary care setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, GKT School of Medicine (Cardiovascular Division), King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferro
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects; D012964:Sodium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004095:Dihydropyridines; D004232:Diuretics; C038806:1,4-dihydropyridine; D012964:Sodium