At the 17th Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension (Amsterdam, June 7-11, 1998), clinicians and scientists from all over the world exchanged the results of latest research on the pathophysiology, prevention and management of hypertension. Progress in two key areas of basic research was presented at the meeting: ion channels and experimental genetics. In the clinical arena, a number of large, long-term studies were presented on topics that included risk factors of cardiovascular events in male hypertensives; antihypertensive therapy and the risk of cancer; and antihypertensive therapy in dementia. A population-wide approach was stressed as essential in a session on diet intervention and hypertension in the 21st century.