High blood pressure drugs can target other health problems

High blood pressure often goes hand in hand with other health problems. High blood pressure increases your risk of having one of these conditions:

• Chronic kidney disease
• Coronary artery disease
• Diabetes
• Heart attack or stroke
• Heart failure
• Swelling or thickening of the left chamber of the heart (left ventricular hypertrophy)

However, a targeted treatment approach might reduce your risk of these complications.

For example, if you have chest pain (angina) related to coronary artery disease, your doctor may recommend a beta blocker to lower blood pressure, prevent chest pain, reduce your heart rate and decrease your risk of death.

If you have diabetes and high blood pressure, taking a diuretic plus an ACE inhibitor can decrease your risk of a heart attack and stroke.

If you have diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease, you may need an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker.