Final answer:
To treat longstanding hypertension, antihypertensive medications such as thiazide-diuretics, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, and ARBs are typically used. These drugs help to lower blood pressure and manage cardiovascular conditions. Lifestyle changes are also important, but medications become necessary when these are not enough.
Step-by-step explanation:
Treatment of Longstanding Hypertension
Hypertension is a condition where the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently high, which poses serious health risks like cardiovascular diseases. To manage this condition, a variety of antihypertensive medications are employed. Among these, thiazide-diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are commonly used as first-line treatments. Lifestyle modifications also play a crucial role in managing blood pressure, but when they are insufficient, medications become necessary. It is important to follow a stepped care approach to medication, increasing treatment only when target levels are not achieved with current therapy.
These medications are designed not only to lower blood pressure but also to improve symptoms of various cardiovascular conditions, including heart failure and chest pain (angina), and to manage arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). ACE inhibitors, for example, work by blocking the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II, which helps to reduce blood pressure. Patients often require a combination of medications to effectively control their hypertension.