Hypertension is one of the most significant clinical problems facing the physician. It is also one of the most difficult to treat. This book provides the practicing general physician a coherent, well-structured and, above all, relevant account of the scientific basis and clinical management of hypertension. It is not simply a guide to prescribing drugs, nor is it an encyclopaedic guide to the primary literature. Instead, it presents a summary of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms to provide the clinician with a rational basis for treatment, and goes on to describe the consequences of hypertension in terms of target organ damage, the various sub-groups, secondary hypertension, clinical assessment and investigation, treatment, new developments, national guidelines and standards, pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, operating on the hypertensive patient, hypertensive emergencies and social impact.