Antihypertensive treatment in Germany, subjected to a cost-effectiveness analysis.

German physicians are increasingly adopting national and international recommendations on the promotion of non-pharmacological treatment of elevated blood pressure. This reflects a greater sensibility to the advantages and disadvantages of antihypertensive drugs versus dietary means. Furthermore, the rapid growth of health expenditure is a central issue in many policy decisions. Increasingly, the use of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is being advocated as a possible means of making the medical care system more efficient. We report an analysis of the value of treating hypertension in Germany-West.