Management of Comorbidities in Chronic Heart Failure CLINICAL STATEMENTS AND GUIDELINES individuals in the United States is 90%, indicating a huge public health burden20 and defining the importance of strategies to control hypertension to prevent HF. Treatment of Hypertension Prevents the Development of HF Long-term treatment of both systolic and diastolic hyper- tension has been shown to reduce the risk of HF.21,22 With treatment of hypertension, the risk of developing HF is reduced by 30% in younger populations,23 by 50% in the and by almost 80% among the elderly with history of MI.22 A meta-analysis of long-term hyperten- sion treatment trials25 and a number of large, controlled have uniformly demonstrated that optimal BP control decreases the risk of new HF by 50%. In pla- cebo-controlled trials, although the relative risks of total major cardiovascular events were reduced by regimens based on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (22%) or calcium antagonists (18%), the risk for develop- ing HF was reduced significantly by ACE inhibitors but not calcium antagonists.27 Greater risk reductions were produced by treatment regimens that targeted lower BP goals than those targeting relatively higher BP goals.28 Treatment Treatment of Hypertension in Patients at Risk for Developing HF Goals of Treatment of Hypertension to Prevent HF Patients with hypertension are at high risk for develop- ing HF (stage A), and their BP should be controlled in accordance with contemporary guidelines to lower the risk of HF (Level of Evidence A8 ; Table 2). 