Hypertension is a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Despite more than five decades of the expansion of therapeutic regimens for hypertension, the treatment of hypertension still remains a therapeutic challenge. Data from the third National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III) suggest that only 29 to 34% of hypertensive patients are adequately controlled. (1)
Secondary hypertension comprises nearly 5 to 10% of hypertensive patients. Factors that pose a special dilemma for clinicians include a lack of patient understanding, financial burden, inappropriate therapeutic regimens to control blood pressure, as well as secondary ...