Stroke is the second leading cause of death and a major contributor to disability worldwide.
The prevalence of stroke is highest in developing countries, with ischemic stroke being the …

Although hypertension is the most prevalent treatable vascular risk factor, how it causes end-
organ damage and vascular events is poorly understood. Yet, a widespread belief exists that …

Background The mechanisms by which hypertension causes vascular events are unclear.
Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment focus only on underlying mean blood pressure. We …

Background Analyses of some randomised trials show that calcium-channel blockers reduce
the risk of stroke more than expected on the basis of mean blood pressure alone and that β …

Essential hypertension can be defined as a rise in blood pressure of unknown cause that
increases risk for cerebral, cardiac, and renal events. In industrialised countries, the risk of …

Background Beta‐blockers refer to a mixed group of drugs with diverse pharmacodynamic
and pharmacokinetic properties. They have shown long‐term beneficial effects on mortality …

Background Chronic hypertension, particularly midlife high blood pressure, has been
associated with an increased risk for cognitive decline and dementia. In this context …

Dementia is a common cause of disability and dependency among the elderly due to its
progressive neurodegenerative nature. As there is currently no curative therapy, it is of major …

Background This is the first update of a review published in 2010. While calcium channel
blockers (CCBs) are often recommended as a first‐line drug to treat hypertension, the effect …

Objective To quantify the effect of first-line antihypertensive treatment with beta-blockers on
mortality, morbidity and withdrawal rates, compared with the other main classes of …