 Exclusion criteria. Women in fertile age not using recognized contraceptive methods, or pregnant or nursing will be excluded from the protocol, since the use of many antihypertensive drugs is contraindicated in pregnancy and lactation. Patients will be excluded when presenting with documented coronary or cerebrovascular events in the previous 6 months, NYHA class higher than 1, history of congestive heart failure, secondary hypertension, cancer disease, renal disease serum creatinine 2 mgdl, liver cirrhosis or severe dysfunction, or any other health problem that may interfere with the projected 2 year follow-up. Data will be stored in an electronic database located in the Coordinating Centre, to which GPs may have access for uploading data on a daily base, using personal, encrypted, login and password. Eligible patients will be asked for written informed consent and thereafter referred to the identified Hypertension Specialist Centre located in their areas, for end-organ damage evaluation by echocardiography, carotid ultrasound and urine dip-stick. These data will be stored in the central database. After local echocardiographic evaluation, patients showing left ventricular Ejection Fraction 45 will be excluded from the study. 