Among treated hypertensive people, the pro- portion taking 3 antihypertensive drugs was lower among women than men, especially among older people (60 69 years of treated women achieved BP control versus 51.1% of treated Notably, hypertensive women are significantly more likely to be treated than men but less likely to have achieved BP control. This may be because of unknown physiological mechanisms (ie, arterial stiffness, overactivation of the renin- angiotensin system) or poorer compliance in women. The recent PARITE study, which examined 3440 patients, found that in French office-based cardiology practices, the antihy- pertensive regimen is adjusted as often in female as in male patients. Hypertension was uncontrolled in 76% of both men and women, and 69% were at high global cardiovascular risk Unfortunately, control of hypertension is poor in high-risk elderly women. Data from the Framingham Heart Study showed an age-related decrease in BP control rates that was more pronounced in women than men.112 Among participants >80 years of age with hypertension, only 23% of women (ver- sus 38% of men) had BP <140/90 mmHg.112 In analyses from the NHANES III and IV cohorts, the age- adjusted prevalence of uncontrolled BP was 50.8 2.1% in men and 55.9 1.5% in women, which was not significantly different; women had a higher prevalence of other concomi- tant cardiovascular risk factors,110 which likely contributed to poorer BP control in elderly women. These included cen- tral obesity, elevated total cholesterol, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.110 Among adults with hyper- tension in NHANES from 1999 to 2004, women were at higher risk of cardiovascular events than men, such that 53% of women but only 41% of men had >3 of the 6 risk factors studied (P<0.001). Sex differences in hypertension and BP regulation are com- plex, because ovarian hormones influence BP considerably. 