18.0: Introduction
Hypertension , a common health condition, increases a person’s risk for myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, renal disease, and stroke. Angina is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. Antihypertensive drugs are used to treat hypertension. Antianginal drugs , such as nitrates and calcium channel blockers, are commonly used to treat angina. This chapter will explore hypertension and angina, and the pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments for these disease processes.