Global treatment of cardiovascular risk in the hypertensive patient

During 2006, new evidence supporting the need to adopt a global approach to the treatment of cardiovascular risk in hypertensive patients has been reported. It is increasingly clear that it is not sufficient to aim for optimum blood pressure control, which in any case is not easy to achieve, and that it is essential to treat all cardiovascular risk factors by using drugs with proven benefits, even when those benefits are supplementary to the drug's principal effects. In addition, drugs that could have a detrimental effect or that are, merely, less beneficial should be avoided or kept as a last resort. This appears to have happened with atenolol, and with beta-blockers in general, which have been withdrawn as first-line treatment in the recommendations of some professional societies. To lower cardiovascular risk, it is essential to prevent the development of conditions like diabetes, which are known to have drastic effect on the patient's prognosis. Recently, the results of the DREAM study, which are discussed in detail in this article, have been reported. They could lead to a change in therapeutic strategy in patients who are expected to develop diabetes. In addition, this year has seen the publication of substantial data on a new anti hypertensive agent, aliskiren, the first oral renin inhibitor. It is awaiting approval by the international medicine agencies (i.e., the FDA and the EMEA), but should provide a very promising tool in the difficult area of high blood pressure management. Despite numerous advances in the pharmacologic treatment of high blood pressure, control is very difficult to achieve, principally in the elderly, in whom the prevalence of hypertension is high. In these patients, social factors and difficulties with treatment compliance also have an influence and must be dealt with by public health measures aimed at improving blood pressure control.