Dealing with pressure

Hypertension is a short book aimed at primary care physicians and junior doctors. It provides a comprehensive summary of the major issues in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Each volume of Churchill’s In clinical practice series is written by a specialist working with a primary care physician, and both authors of Hypertension have appropriate qualifications.

The book is very topical, given the publication of hypertension guidelines by a number of national and international organisations in the past year, and the subsequent controversy about some of their recommendations. Differences in the guidelines are discussed and some of the authors’ own interpretations are provided. Opinion is clearly differentiated from evidence in the book. Importantly, several major hypertension trials have been published since the book was written, and the ASCOT (Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial) results are soon to be published. This means that parts of the book will be out of date in a relatively short time. However, whether the results of these recent trials lead to changes in the recommended management of hypertension remains to be seen.

The presentation and writing style are very user-friendly and I found this an enjoyable book to read. Important points are listed in italics in the margins. The table of antihypertensive drugs provides an easily accessible summary of doses, indications and side effects. The cost of the book seems reasonable. There are few who manage hypertension who would not glean some useful and practical information from this book. I would particularly recommend it to specialist physician trainees as well as primary care trainees.

Roger PeverillCardiologist Monash University, Melbourne