The management of essential hypertension can no longer be directed toward an isolated reduction in arterial pressure. Optimal reduction in the risk factors associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease hopefully will reduce coronary heart disease, angina, fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction, left ventricular hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, and sudden death. Hypertension is a genetic and acquired syndrome that consists of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and carbohydrate intolerance, central obesity, renal abnormalities, structural abnormalities of smooth muscle, and ion transport abnormalities (membranopathy). The selection of pharmacologic agents should improve the components of the hypertensive syndrome by utilizing the "subsets of hypertension approach" to treatment.