| Combination therapy may be considered as the initial therapy to treat blood pressure that is more than 20/10 mm Hg over goal. | B | 1, 3, 4 |
| Combination therapy may be equally or better tolerated than higher doses of an individual component of the combination therapy. | B | 4, 7, 12 |
| The recommended initial treatment for hypertensive patients with heart failure or previous myocardial infarction includes a beta blocker and an ACE inhibitor. | A | 1, 31, 32 |
| For patients in whom an ACE inhibitor is recommended, an angiotensin receptor blocker may be substituted if the ACE inhibitor is not tolerated or is contraindicated. | A | 1, 31 |
| Recommended hypertension treatment for recurrent stroke prevention includes an ACE inhibitor and a diuretic. | A | 1 |
| Initial treatment of hypertension with an ACE inhibitor is recommended in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease. | A | 1 |