Audit of hypertension in general practice.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and complications of hypertension including strokes, myocardial infarction, renal and heart failure are well-known. The morbidity and mortality caused by hypertension is an enormous social and financial burden. The benefits of blood pressure lowering include reducing stroke incidence by 35-40%, myocardial infarction by 20-25% and heart failure by 50%'. Earlier clinical trials confirmed the benefits of treatments to levels of 160 mmHg systolic and 100 mmHg diastolic or less4• Newer evidence support the lowering of blood pressures to 140 mmHg systolic and 90 mmHg diastolic, and to even lower levels of 130 1 80 mmHg in high risk groups, such as those with diabetes mellitus (DM) and renal insufficiency (ill) 5"'.