Vnitr Lek 1991, 37(1):41-47

[Treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular complications].

J Widimský: Katedra kardiologie, Institutu pro dalsí vzdĕlávání lékarů a farmaceutů, Praha.

The aim in treatment of hypertension is normalization of blood pressure. The impact of treatment of hypertension on the development of IHD depends not only on the treatment of hypertension but also on influencing other basic risk factors, i.e. hyperlipoproteinaemia and smoking. Treatment of hypertension can be and should be individual and depends on a) age, b) the level of hypertension, c) complications of hypertension and d) the presence of other diseases, in particular hyperlipoproteinaemia and diabetes mellitus. The treatment of choice in hyperlipoproteinaemia are calcium antagonists, prazosin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers with ISA. There is experimental evidence suggesting that calcium antagonists (in particular isradipine) but also beta-blockers suppress the progression of atherosclerosis and AGE inhibitors prevent the development of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy. Effective treatment leads to a decline in the mortality from cerebrovascular attacks--in the USA in the course of 20 years a decline by 60%--in Czechoslovakia so far the mortality from cerebrovascular disease did not change which indicates unfortunately a very poor control of hypertension in the population.