Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Over 60% of the cardiovascular deaths are due to ischemic heart disease (IHD) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (cdc wonder ref). Systemic hypertension is one of the leading risk factors worldwide for IHD and AMI (GBD). Hypertension affects over 75 million people in the United States and the prevalence is increasing worldwide. Heart attack statistics showed that 69% of patients who present with their first myocardial infarction also have hypertension (1). Hypertension can be easily diagnosed in the physician’s office, but the absence of symptoms presents a challenge for treatment and risk reduction; often adequate control is not obtained and the risk of myocardial
