1) Hypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure over 140 mm Hg or a diastolic over 90 mm Hg. Antihypertensive drugs are used to reduce high blood pressure.
2) There are several classes of antihypertensive drugs, including ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, diuretics, and angiotensin receptor blockers.
3) The document provides details on the mechanisms of several classes of antihypertensive drugs and examples of drugs within each class, such as ACE inhibitors decreasing angiotensin II and calcium channel blockers inhibiting calcium influx into vascular smooth muscle cells.