This Contractor serves as a clinical center in the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP). SHEP is designed to determine if isolated systolic hypertension should be treated in an elderly population. The general research design is to be implemented in three phases. Phase I will consist of refining the preliminary draft protocol and the development of an operations manual. Phase I is anticipated to last eight months. During Phase II, participants will be recruited, treated, and followed; Phase II will last approximately six years. Phase III is for analysis and dissemination of results. This will require six months.
