Trends in the Prevalence of Hypertension, Antihypertensive Therapy, and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy from 1950 to 1989

Our findings support the notion that the increasing use of antihypertensive medication has resulted in a reduced prevalence of high blood pressure and a concomitant decline in left ventricular hypertrophy in the general population. Our observations may in part explain the considerable decline in mortality from cardiovascular disease observed since the late 1960s.