Treatment of HTN reduces the risk of these complications. A. Epidemiology and Impact in the General Population Blood pressure is a continuous variable that increases with advancing age similar to the increase in associated comorbid conditions like coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and CKD.[5] This hypertensive risk is elevated in persons with diabetes and/or CKD. Over 66% of both men and women 65 years of age and over have HTN compared to <15% of men and women between 20 and 44 years of age.[9] HTN is more common in older adults; in 2016, a higher percentage of men 20-44 versus >64 years old (33% versus 16%) were unaware they had HTN. The asymptomatic nature of HTN can lead to challenges with detection; therefore, routine screening is important in order to diagnose the condition. Also, the asymptomatic nature of HTN can lead to challenges with adherence to treatment. In African Americans, HTN develops at a younger age and may present with a higher prevalence of complications at the time of diagnosis, including stroke and end-stage kidney disease, when compared with other ethnic groups.[10] The definition of HTN has evolved over the past five decades as clinical trials have progressively lowered the level of blood pressure at which the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. Based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 9,623 participants studied between 2011 and 2014, it is estimated that 72 million (or about one in three adult Americans) have HTN using the definition of SBP 140 and DBP 90 mm Hg published in the JNC 7 guidelines in 2003.[3,11] By the eighth decade of life, over 75% meet the aforementioned criteria, most commonly based on systolic elevation. 