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We're talking about high blood pressure this week on Health Watch. Previously, we learned that there are more than 70 medications that can be used to treat this disorder, and we looked at a couple of kinds of these drugs.

Dr. Ron Victor, chief of the hypertension division at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and an expert on high blood pressure, says ARBs are a new class of blood-pressure medication with fewer side effects than other drugs. Calcium channel blockers may also be effective for treating blood pressure, though they may cause some swelling in the ankles. Beta blockers are an older kind of blood pressure medication and are often given to patients who already have heart disease because they may protect the heart. They may have side effects, though.

Next: How doctors may use these drugs to treat high blood pressure. 

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^March 2006

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