When to treat hypertension? (When the benefits outweigh the risks)

Treatment decisions must not be based solely on diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is proving a better predictor of morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) increases with increasing age, which reflects the increasing rigidity of the arterial tree and atherosclerotic changes. In the Framingham population, 65-75% of hypertension in the elderly population is of the isolated systolic type.