Q: I am a 37 years old female. At present, my blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg. How does my physician or cardiologist know whether ACE inhibitor, calcium channel blocker or beta-blocker will lower my blood pressure? What is the correct medication for lowering my blood pressure?

A:First of all, let me make it clear that at the moment you do not require any medicine with a borderline blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg. Unless there are other cardiac risk factors, only life style advice is required i.e. weight reduction to normal levels (in your case under 65 kg), low sodium intake (under 6 g of salt per 24 hours), diet low in saturated fats, mild exercise (such as brisk walk for 45 minutes to cover no less than 4.5 km daily), limited consumption of coffee, stop smoking (if applicable) and stress management (if applicable). If and when drug therapy is required, there are well-accepted global guidelines on the selection of medicines for patients under and over 55 years of age. All good clinicians should be aware of these guidelines.