Tailoring the antihypertensive drug regimen.

The challenge to the clinician is the need to choose among an array of antihypertensive agents in order to arrive at a regimen that is not only effective but also safe and convenient. Tailoring the regimen to the individual patient requires careful consideration of the pathophysiologic mechanisms that may be operative, concurrent risk factors and diseases, previous responses to other antihypertensive agents and the patient's general lifestyle, including diet and exercise.