Introduction: The prevalence of true drug-resistant hypertension is unknown, but it is variably estimated to account for 10% to 25% of the hypertensive population. Drugresistant hypertension usually refers to patients who do not achieve target blood pressure (BP) despite adherence to a regimen of three or more antihypertensive agents (with or without a diuretic according to the specific consensus document) . Regardless of the exact definition, it is apparent that patients with drug-resistant hypertension constitute a self-selected high-risk subgroup for whom conventional approaches to treatment have failed. They continue to be exposed to the hazards of uncontrolled BP elevation and consume inordinate medical resources.
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