Dr. Pham is a Pharmacy Practice Resident at UCLA Medical Center
in Los Angeles, California. Hypertension affects approximately
60 million adults in the United States and is one of the most
common chronic reasons for physician office visits.1 Data from
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey census
bureau show that only 34% of patients with hypertension have
adequate blood-pressure (BP) control2; the result is that
hypertensive emergencies present in roughly 27.5% of emergency
room visits.3 Long-term effects of hypertension also are
significant risk factors for hospitalization.4-6 Essential
hypertension is the term used for elevated BP of unknown origin.
These elevations have been classified into stages, according to
the most recent report of the Joint National Committee on
Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood
Pressure (JNC 7), based on the average of ≥2 properly measured
BP readings on separate health care visits (Table).2 Improper
management of hypertension is a major r