Marginally elevated blood pressure may improve with changes in lifestyle such as weight loss, more exercise and reduction in salt intake. If these measures are not successful, then drug treatment may be needed.

However, once medication has started, it is essential to continue with the treatment on a long-term basis, which is likely to be life-long for most people.

It is also important to complement the treatment with a healthy lifestyle. Drugs used to treat high blood pressure include:

• Diuretics
• Calcium channel blockers
• Angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or Angiotensin II receptor blockers
• Beta blockers
• Alpha blockers
• Central acting agents
• Direct vasodilators