A 56-year-old patient with newly diagnosed stage 1 hypertension has been referred to you for counseling regarding lifestyle modifications. He is married, with four children — two in high school, two in college. His job as a senior vice-president for a major retail chain requires that he work long hours and frequently eat at restaurants. He smokes two packs of cigarettes a day, has a body mass index (BMI) of 29 kg/m2, and a waist-hip ratio of 1.6. He usually drinks one to two dry martinis to relax after he gets home from work.
- How would you develop a realistic plan to help this patient reduce his blood pressure and prevent complications?
- Which risk factors would be among your top two or three priorities for this patient, and what interventions or recommendations would you provide for modifying these?
