Abstract
For a successful treatment of arterial hypertension, in most patients it is necessary to prescribe at least two antihypertensive medicines. A well chosen fi xed combination of antihypertensives improves lifelong compliance with treatment, another important approach to improving treatment compliance being regular education of the patient regarding the appropriateness of regular medicine taking in relation to the risks of untreated hypertension.
Currently, when initiating treatment of uncomplicated hypertension, the combination of diuretics with beta-blockers is being abandoned, especially for their metabolic adverse effects. The most frequent combination of recommended antihypertensive medicinal products is a combination of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, i.e.
ACE inhibitors or sartans, with calcium channel blockers or diuretics. Some studies about the effi cacy of this modern combined antihypertensive therapy are mentioned.