Author Description

Hypertension is one of the most significant clinical problems facing the physician. It is also one of the most difficult to treat. This book provides the practicing general physician a coherent, well-structured and, above all, relevant account of the scientific basis and clinical management of hypertension. It is not simply a guide to prescribing drugs, nor is it an encyclopaedic guide to the primary literature. Instead, it presents a summary of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms to provide the clinician with a rational basis for treatment, and goes on to describe the consequences of hypertension in terms of target organ damage, the various sub-groups, secondary hypertension, clinical assessment and investigation, treatment, new developments, national guidelines and standards, pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, operating on the hypertensive patient, hypertensive emergencies and social impact.