The prevalence of hypertension is thus directly proportional to the age of the population, with more than half of Americans >65 years of age having a high BP. The Framingham Heart Study has esti- mated the remaining lifetime risk of developing hypertension at 90% for men and women not yet hypertensive by middle In addition, there is a change with age in the relative importance of SBP and DBP as risk indicators. Before 50 years of age, DBP is the major predictor of IHD risk, whereas after 60 years of age, SBP is more important.5 It is important to note that, in this population 60 years of age, DBP becomes inversely related to CAD risk and pulse pressure becomes the strongest predictor for CAD. In a meta-analysis of 61 studies that included almost 1 million adults,6 BP was related to fatal CAD over the BP range of 115/75 to 185/115 mmHg for all ages. Overall, each increase in SBP of 20 mmHg (or each 10-mmHg increase in DBP) doubles the risk of a fatal coro- nary event. Epidemiological studies have also shown that an elevated BP is the most important determinant of the risk of stroke. The risk is almost linear, beginning at relatively low levels of SBP and DBP,7 and the lowering of high BP is a major factor in the impressive reduction in the stroke death rates during the last half of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st The absolute risk of these adverse outcomes also increases with age. 