The primary goal in the treatment of essential hypertension is to reduce all end organ damage, not simply to reduce blood pressure. Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular, cardiovascular and renal morbidity and mortality. Pharmacological therapy has reduced some, but not all, of these complications. In order to achieve maximal decrease in morbidity and mortality in hypertensive related diseases the overall impact of antihypertensive drug therapy on the pathogenesis of damage to each end organ must be considered. The pharmacological therapy of mild hypertension has reduced complications of most pressure related (arteriolar) damage such as cerebrovascular accidents, congestive heart failure, and some cases of chronic renal failure, but atherosclerotic complications, coronary heart disease, angina, myocardial infarction and sudden death have not been convincingly reduced. A more pathophysiologic and individualized approach to the treatment of hypertension is recommended in place of the traditional stepped care approach which has primarily emphasized diuretics and beta blockers as initial therapy. This new approach in the subsets of hypertension, which is based on eight parameters: (1) Pathophysiology; (2) Haemodynamics; (3) End organ damage; (4) Concomitant medical diseases and problems; (5) Demographics; (6) Adverse effects of drugs and quality of life; (7) Compliance with medication regimen; (8) Total health care costs: direct and indirect costs. Hypertension is not just a disorder of increased intraarterial pressure, but in fact, a syndrome of commonly associated genetic and/or acquired abnormalities including dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, central obesity, renal abnormalities, structural abnormalities of smooth muscle, and abnormal cellular cation transport or membranopathy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)