Newer Drugs in the Treatment of Hypertension

Fifty patients exhibiting relatively severe hypertensive vascular disease were treated with hexamethonium compounds for periods of 3 to 19 months, averaging 9 months per patient. Hexamethonium is a potent anticholinergic agent capable of lowering blood pressure for short periods. During prolonged administration, the initial effects upon blood pressure tend to become diminished or lost, so that in the long-term treatment of severe hypertension, hexamethonium therapy alone possesses limited value. Amelioration of symptoms, decrease in retinopathy and improvement in the electrocardiogram are noted. Five fatalities occurred during treatment, but none of these was attributed directly to drug action.