Editorial

Bergman, R.N. , Kim, S.P. , Hsu, I.R. , Catalano, K.J. , Chiu, J.D. , Kabir, M. et al. (2007) Abdominal obesity: role in the pathophysiology of metabolic disease and cardiovascular risk. Am J Med 120: S3—S8.

Bradley, H.A. , Wiysonge, C.S. , Volmink, J.A. , Mayosi, B.M. , Opie, L.H. (2006) How strong is the evidence for use of beta-blockers as first-line therapy for hypertension? Systematic review and meta-analysis . J Hypertens 24: 2131—2141.

Dahlof, B. , Devereux, R.B. , Kjeldsen, S.E. , Julius, S. , Beevers, G. , de Faire, U. et al. (2002) Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension study (LIFE): a randomised trial against atenolol. Lancet 359: 995—1003.

Dahlof, B. , Sever, P.S. , Poulter, N.R. , Wedel, H. , Beevers, D.G. , Caulfield, M. et al. (2005) Prevention of cardiovascular events with an antihypertensive regimen of amlodipine adding perindopril as required versus atenolol adding bendoflumethiazide as required, in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Blood Pressure Lowering Arm (ASCOT-BPLA): a multicentre randomized controlled trial. Lancet 366: 895—906.

Gerdts, E. , Wachtell, K. , Omvik, P. , Otterstad, J.E. , Oikarinen, L. , Boman, K. et al. (2007) Left atrial size and risk of major cardiovascular events during antihypertensive treatment: losartan intervention for endpoint reduction in hypertension trial. Hypertension 49: 311—316.

Grassi, G. , Arenare, F. , Quarti Trevano, F. , Dell'Oro, R. , Mancia, G. (2007) Primary and secondary prevention of stroke by antihypertensive treatment in clinical trials. Curr Hypertens Rep 9: 299—304.

Guidelines Committee (2003) 2003 European Society of Hypertension-European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. J Hypertens 21: 1011—1053.

Hansson, L. , Zanchetti, A. , Carruthers, S.G. , Dahlöf, B. , Elmfeldt, D. , Julius, S. et al. (1998) Effects of intensive blood-pressure lowering and low-dose aspirin in patients with hypertension: principal results of the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) randomised trial. Lancet 351: 1755—1762.

Hayden, M. , Pignone, M. , Phillips, C. , Mulrow, C. (2002) Aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events: a summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force . Ann Intern Med 136: 161—172.

Hodis, H.N. , Mack, W.J. , LaBree, L. , Selzer, R.H. , Liu, C.R. , Liu, C.H. et al. (1998) The role of carotid arterial intima-media thickness in predicting clinical coronary events. Ann Intern Med 128: 262—269.

Jafar, T.H. , Stark, P.C. , Schmid, C.H. , Landa, M. , Maschio, G. , de Jong, P.E. et al. (2003) Progression of chronic kidney disease: the role of blood pressure control, proteinuria, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition: a patient-level meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med 139: 244—252.

Levy, D. , Garrison, R.J. , Savage, D.D. , Kannel, W.B. , Castelli, W.P. (1990) Prognostic implications of echocardiographically determined left ventricular mass in the Framingham Heart Study. N Engl J Med 322: 1561—1566.

Lindholm, L.H. , Carlberg, B. , Samuelsson, O. (2005) Should beta blockers remain first choice in the treatment of primary hypertension? A meta-analysis. Lancet 366: 1545—1553.

Mancia, G. (2006) Total cardiovascular risk: a new treatment concept . J Hypertens Suppl 24: S17—S24.

Mancia, G. , De Backer, G. , Dominiczak, A. , Cifkova, R. , Fagard, R. , Germano, G. et al. (2007) 2007 Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension: The Task Force for the Management of Arterial Hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). J Hypertens 25: 1105—1187.

Mancia, G. , Grassi, G. , Zanchetti, A. (2006) New-onset diabetes and antihypertensive drugs. J Hypertens 24: 3—10.

Mancia, G. , Lanfranchi, A. , Turri, C. , Grassi, G. (1998) Can good surrogate end-points predict the prognosis of hypertensive patients? J Hypertens Suppl 16: S3—S7.

McKenna, M. , Wolfson, S. , Kuller, L. (1991) The ratio of ankle and arm arterial pressure as an independent predictor of mortality. Atherosclerosis 87: 119—128.

Messerli, F.H. , Mancia, G. , Conti, C.R. , Hewkin, A.C. , Kupfer, S. , Champion, A. et al. (2006) Dogma disputed: can aggressively lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease be dangerous ? Ann Intern Med 144: 884—893.

Muiesan, M.L. , Salvetti, M. , Monteduro, C. , Bonzi, B. , Paini, A. , Viola, S. et al. (2004) Left ventricular concentric geometry during treatment adversely affects cardiovascular prognosis in hypertensive patients . Hypertension 43: 731—738.

Nice/Bhs (2006) Hypertension: management of hypertension in adults in primary care NICE/BHS . www.nice.org.uk/CG034.

O'Leary, D.H. , Polak, J.F. , Kronmal, R.A. , Manolio, T.A. , Burke, G.L. , Wolfson , Jr , S.K. (1999) Carotid-artery intima and media thickness as a risk factor for myocardial infarction and stroke in older adults. Cardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med 340: 14—22.

Pepine, C.J. , Handberg, E.M. , Cooper-DeHoff, R.M. , Marks, R.G. , Kowey, P. , Messerli, F.H. et al. (2003) A calcium antagonist vs a non-calcium antagonist hypertension treatment strategy for patients with coronary artery disease. The International Verapamil-Trandolapril Study (INVEST): a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 290: 2805—2816.

Prospective Studies Collaboration (2002) Agespecific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet 360: 1903—1913.

Schrader, J. , Luders, S. , Kulschewski, A. , Hammersen, F. , Plate, K. , Berger, J. et al. (2005) Morbidity and Mortality After Stroke. Eprosartan Compared with Nitrendipine for Secondary Prevention: principal results of a prospective randomized controlled study (MOSES). Stroke 36: 1218—1226.

Schrader, J. , Luders, S. , Kulschewski, A. , Berger, J. , Zidek, W. , Treib, J. et al. (2003) The ACCESS Study: evaluation of Acute Candesartan Cilexetil Therapy in Stroke Survivors. Stroke 34: 1699—1703.

Sever, P.S. , Dahlof, B. , Poulter, N.R. , Wedel, H. , Beevers, G. , Caulfield, M. et al. (2003) The prevention of coronary events and stroke with atorvastatin in hypertensive subjects with average or below average cholesterol levels. The Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial: Lipid Lowering Arm (ASCOT:LLA). Lancet 361: 1149—1158.

Sharma, A.M. , Pischon, T. , Hardt, S. , Kunz, I. , Luft, F.C. (2001) Hypothesis: Beta-adrenergic receptor blockers and weight gain: a systematic analysis. Hypertension 37: 250—254.

Staessen, J.A. , Wang, J.G. , Thijs, L. (2003) Cardiovascular prevention and blood pressure reduction: a quantitative overview updated until 1 March 2003. J Hypertens 21: 1055—1076.

Torp-Pedersen, C. , Metra, M. , Charlesworth, A. et al. (2007) Effects of metoprolol and carvedilol on preexisting and new onset diabetes in patients with chronic heart failure Data from the Carvedilol or metoprolol European Trial (COMET). Heart 93: 968—973.

Trenkwalder, P. , Elmfeldt, D. , Hofman, A. , Spark, P. , Lukas, M.A. , Poole-Wilson, P.A. et al. (2005) The Study on Cognition and Prognosis in the Elderly (SCOPE) — major cardiovascular events and stroke in subgroups of patients. Blood Press 14: 31—37.

Verdecchia, P. , Angeli, F. , Borgioni, C. , Gattobigio, R. , de Simone, G. , Devereux, R.B. et al. (2003) Changes in cardiovascular risk by reduction of left ventricular mass in hypertension: a meta-analysis. Am J Hypertens 16: 895—899.

Willum-Hansen, T. , Staessen, J.A. , Torp-Pedersen, C. , Rasmussen, S. , Thijs, L. , Ibsen, H. et al. (2006) Prognostic value of aortic pulse wave velocity as index of arterial stiffness in the general population. Circulation 113: 664—670.