In this paper, the authors want to review the following aspects: a) the techniques for measuring blood pressure, b) physiology of blood pressure, c) pathophysiology and natural history of high blood pressure disease, d) its importance as a cardiovascular risk factor and its association with other risk factors, e) therapy of high blood pressure, f) resistant and refractory high blood pressure, and g) hypertensive urgency and hypertensive crisis. This review emphasizes the importance of adequately reducing high blood pressure in hypertensive patients instead of routinely measuring blood pressure and offering appropriate therapy for just a few patients. As long as age increases in the whole population, the frequency of high blood pressure increases in every society, no matter whether it is an industrialized country or a developing country1; at the same time, in spite of the well-known dange...

In this paper, the authors want to review the following aspects: a) the techniques for measuring blood pressure, b) physiology of blood pressure, c) pathophysiology and natural history of high blood pressure disease, d) its importance as a cardiovascular risk factor and its association with other risk factors, e) therapy of high blood pressure, f) resistant and refractory high blood pressure, and g) hypertensive urgency and hypertensive crisis. This review emphasizes the importance of adequately reducing high blood pressure in hypertensive patients instead of routinely measuring blood pressure and offering appropriate therapy for just a few patients. As long as age increases in the whole population, the frequency of high blood pressure increases in every society, no matter whether it is an industrialized country or a developing country1; at the same time, in spite of the well-known dange...