Medical Management of Primary Hypertension

THE great importance of blood pressure as a predictor of longevity has long been recognized by insurance companies. From actuarial studies done in the early years of the 20th century, it appeared that both high and low blood pressures were associated with an increased risk of dying. However, as death rates due to infectious disease diminished, the relation between blood pressure and mortality emerged in sharpened focus. The Build and Blood Pressure Study of the Society of Actuaries in 1959,1 based on 3,900,000 policy holders and 102,000 deaths, showed that mortality ratios were more markedly affected by blood pressure than . . .