The role of angiotensin II receptor antagonists in hypertension management: focus on candesartan cilexetil.

The prevention and treatment of hypertension both from the viewpoint of individual patient care and in terms of population health presents a considerable challenge to the medical profession. To assist in meeting this challenge, various bodies have produced guidelines for the management of hypertension during the past 30 years. The aim of this article is to review the recommendations of the most recent of these - the 1999 WHO-ISH guidelines - as well as previous similar documents, including the earlier 1993 WHO-ISH guidelines and the US Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation