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. For any given SBP, the risk of fatal CAD was 16- fold higher for people 80 to 89 years of age than for those In the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry, men 18 to 39 years of age at baseline with a BP of 130 to 139/85 to 89 mm Hg or with stage 1 hypertension (140 159/90 99 mm Hg) accounted for nearly 60% of all excess IHD, overall cardiovascular disease (CVD), or all-cause mortality.9 Epidemiological data show that lower BP levels are associated with lower disease risks, suggesting that future coronary events can be prevented by reducing BP.10 Elevated BP represents a sub- stantial population-attributable risk for men and women, both black and white.11,12 1.1.1. Effects of Treatment The risk of CVD in the patient with hypertension has been shown to be greatly reduced with effective antihypertensive therapy. Major reductions in CVD morbidity and mortality over the past 50 years have been attributed to the increased availability and use of drug treatment for hypertension. Randomized trials have shown that BP lowering in patients with hypertension produces rapid reductions in cardiovascu- that are highly consistent with data from observa- tional studies. 