Bozkurt et al hypertension in HF.9 Ongoing trials are intended to spe- cifically address the question of goal BP reduction, and a new ACCF/AHA Guideline Writing Committee has been convened to address the management of hypertension. Medication Choices for the Treatment of Hypertension to Prevent HF For antihypertensive regimens in patients without estab- lished HF, optimal control of BP should remain the prima- ry goal. The most recent 2014 evidence-based guideline for the management of high BP in adults recommends that in the general nonblack population, including those with diabetes mellitus, the initial antihypertensive treat- ment should include a thiazide-type diuretic, a calcium channel blocker, an ACE inhibitor, or an angiotensin recep- tor blocker (ARB).7 Each of these 4 drug classes recom- mended by the writing group yielded comparable effects on overall mortality, cardiovascular (excluding HF), cere- brovascular, and kidney outcomes. However, the effects of these drug classes on HF differ. Treatment with a thiazide-type diuretic or an ACE in- hibitor has been shown to be more effective than treat- ment with a calcium channel blocker in improving HF Although the writing committee recognized that improved HF outcome was an important finding that should be considered in the selection of a drug for initial therapy for hypertension, the panel did not conclude that it was compelling enough to preclude the use of the other drug classes for initial therapy. 