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A 63-year-old man is hospitalized for uncomplicated diverticulitis and is incidentally diagnosed with hypertension. This is a new diagnosis — although he rarely sees his PCP — and he is asymptomatic, has normal renal and liver function, and no evidence of end-organ damage. Should we start antihypertensive therapy during hospitalization or defer treatment to the outpatient setting? An internist and nephrologist provide their perspectives.
Comment
My gut reaction is to treat, but I learned that the American Heart Association recommends otherwise. Perhaps a better approach is to partner with the patient and figure out what barriers there are (if any) to routinely seeing his PCP and to remind him that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cu…