ABSTRACT

If left untreated, hypertension accelerates atherosclerosis and imposes a further burden on the cardiovascular system (Figure 9). All of these complications occur more frequently in hypertensives, although only acceleratedmalignant hypertension and hypertensive encephalopathy are unique to the condition. Those two syndromes were seen in as many as 7% of patients before the advent of effective therapy and were rapidly fatal. Now they are both less common and much more amenable to effective therapy.