Treating Mild Hypertension

Excerpt

To the editor: The editorial by Ram (1) on the treatment of mild hypertension compiled into one article a number of arguments offered by others about the Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program and the other trials on the treatment of mild hypertension. Because the points made by Dr. Ram are erroneous, some factually and some in their interpretation, we believe they should be clarified.

First let us consider the claim that a "small percentage" of participants in the Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program benefited. It is certainly true that when one subtracts mortality rate among the referred care group from