Treatment of Hypertension in Middle-Aged Men: A Feasibility Study in a Community

1. In a health examination survey of 2322 men, aged 49–50 years, the prevalence of hypertension was 7·5%. All men with a supine diastolic blood pressure ≥ 105 mmHg were invited to a hypertension clinic.

2. Two years' treatment in eighty-six men achieved a blood pressure reduction of 31/16 mmHg, which was maintained for a 4 years period and considered satisfactory in 80% of the subjects. Propranolol was used in more than 80% of the cases.

3. The study indicates that it is possible to obtain acceptable blood pressure control in the community.