Should Mild Hypertension Be Treated?

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the prevailing opinion among many hypertension specialists and primary care physicians was to treat all hypertensive patients, regardless of the severity or mildness of their condition. In this commentary piece, Freis reviewed the arguments for and against treating milder cases with drug therapy, finally determining that "we may be doing more harm than good by giving lifelong drug treatment to patients with borderline or mild hypertension."