Antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants for hypertension.

Elevated systemic blood pressure results in high intravascular pressure but the main complications, coronary heart disease (CHD), ischaemic strokes and peripheral vascular disease (PVD), are related to thrombosis rather than haemorrhage. Some complications related to elevated blood pressure, heart failure or atrial fibrillation, are themselves associated with stroke and thromboembolism. Therefore it is important to investigate if antithrombotic therapy may be useful in preventing thrombosis-related complications in patients with elevated blood pressure.