Sustained normotension in hypertensive patients withdrawn from medication for 1 year
Ruoff, G.E.
Family Medicine 29(5): 344-346
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0742-3225 PMID: 9165288 Document Number: 483467
Prior research indicates that up to 5% of hypertensive subjects can be successfully withdrawn from antihypertensive medications. This study determined if, in a family practice setting, greater than 5% of patients with mild essential hypertension could be withdrawn from their antihypertensive medication for more than 1 year and remain normotensive. We enrolled 116 randomly chosen volunteer patients. Of these, 96% were white, and 58% were female. The mean age was 57, and the mean history of hypertension was 10.1 years. A total of 81 subjects completed the study; 46.9% of those 81 remained normotensive for 1 year after stopping medication. Females tended to do better than males at withdrawing from antihypertensives (58% versus 33%). The proportion of patients who successfully withdrew from antihypertensive medication for 1 year and remained normotensive was significantly greater than expected. Further studies are needed to identify factors that predict which patients will remain normotensive without medication.