BRAVE Study With Uncontrolled Essential Hypertension (BRAVE Study)

Patients with uncontrolled essential hypertension aged 18-79 years on no antihypertensive treatment with sitting clinic systolic blood pressure of 140-169 mmHg and/or a sitting clinic diastolic blood pressure of 90-109 mmHg, or for patients with diabetes mellitus or with chronic kidney disease with sitting clinic systolic blood pressure of 130-169 mmHg and / or a sitting clinic diastolic blood pressure of 80-109 mmHg and heart rate \> 70 at baseline (before starting bisoprolol treatment) will be enrolled. Patients on other antihypertensive treatments who are experiencing side effects or whose blood pressure may not be well controlled can also enter if they can continue on a stable dose of a calcium channel blocker, either amlodipine or nifedipine retard throughout the study. Patients will be treated with bisoprolol 2.5mg daily for a total of 26 weeks. The primary endpoint will be the influence of common genetic polymorphisms on clinic sitting blood pressure or ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) response to bisoprolol 2.5 mg after 6 weeks treatment.