Hypertension: the new French recommendations.

The field of hypertensive medicine is constantly and rapidly changing, espe cially with regards to treatment. In view of its high incidence and its com plications, it is a major public health concern. This explains the periodic publication of national or international recommendations with the object o f informing practitioners of the latest publications in a form applicable t o clinical medicine. In France, the "Agence Nationale d'Accreditation et d'Evaluation en Sante" (ANAES) has recently published its recommendations for the management of hy pertension. The dominant issues are the recognition of validated electronic sphygmomanometers for measuring the blood pressure in the out-patient sett ing, the evaluation of individual cardiovascular risk for treatment choice, the value of nonpharmacological interventions, the tailoring of antihypert ensive treatment and the abandon of the concept of equal benefit of compara ble blood pressure lowering irrespective of the molecule used.