The control of hypertension in the community. Pharmacological tratment, primary prevention or both?

Most hypertensive complications including morbidity occur with increasing frequency or degree from the lowest to the highest blood pressures. The circumstances under which blood pressure is measured are important, and it is at present not definitely known at what blood pressure levels the beneficial effects of antihypertensive drug treatment are proved beyond doubts. To substantially reduce the problem of myocardial infarction, stroke and other sequelae in the community, case binding and drug treatment must be combined with other measures influencing the incidence also in the low and middle risk interval, where many cases will occur. A moderate restriction of the salt intake in the general population might be such a measure, but more detailed information about the effects and applicability of such a measure is needed.