Allocation of Resources to Manage Hypertension

Hypertension is one of the foremost public-health problems facing this nation. Its high prevalence, the enhanced risks of mortality and morbidity from the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases associated with it, and the availability of treatment that has been shown to be effective, at least in selected patients,1,2 combine to highlight its importance. The problem is compounded by the fact that many people are unaware that they have hypertension, and others, though aware, are on either no treatment or inadequate treatment.3Our purpose is to apply cost-effectiveness analysis to the management of essential hypertension, both to determine how resources can be . . .