Hypertension mechanisms and diagnosis

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is by far the leading cause of death, in males and females, in industrialized nations. In the United States this year. about a million deaths will be due to diseases of the heart and circulation, more than twice the number for the next most frequent cause of death, cancer. The most common fatal cardiovascular diseases are coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and stroke; these, together with renovascular disease, all have hypertension as a major risk factor. High blood pressure is therefore a highly lethal disease. © 2006 Humana Press Inc.