Hypertension

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in industrialized nations, and it is estimated that as the population ages, there will be a further increase in the contribution that CVD makes to total morbidity and mortality. Hypertension is both one of the most common CVD risk factors and among the most important. Not only is hypertension a major risk factor for myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation; it is also a cause of chronic renal failure and end-stage renal disease, thereby further contributing to the growing chronic disease healthcare burden. In this chapter, we give a broad overview of the history of hypertension, issues surrounding blood pressure measurement and the diagnosis of hypertension, and important blood pressure phenotypes (white coat hypertension, masked hypertension).