ACUTE HYPERTENSION - AN APPRAISAL OF NEW AND OLD PHARMACOLOGICAL AGENTS

Acute hypertension can be broadly classified as hypertensive emergency and hypertensive urgency, In general, although the oral agents are ef fective in acutely reducing blood pressure, in comparison with the int ravenous agents, they have a slower onset of action, unpredictable res ponses, and more difficult dosage titration, Thus, intravenous agents should be considered as the drugs of choice for managing acute hyperte nsive emergencies. However, some oral agents are suitable cost-effecti ve options for treating hypertensive urgencies, Among the intravenous agents, those that can be administered as an intermittent bolus genera lly require less monitoring than those requiring constant infusion and , thus, are usually the more cost-effective therapy.