There is no RCT evidence demonstrating that antihypertensive drugs reduce mortality or morbidity in patients with hypertensive emergencies .
Furthermore , there is insufficient RCT evidence to determine which drug or drug class is most effective in reducing mortality and morbidity .
There were some minor differences in the degree of blood pressure lowering when one class of antihypertensive drug is compared to another .
However , the clinical significance is unknown .
Hypertensive emergencies occur when high blood pressure is associated with the presence of acute end-organ damage , such as hypertensive encephalopathy .
There is controversy as to when and which antihypertensive drugs to use in these situations .
The Use of Lacidipine in the Management of Hypertensive Crises: A Comparative Study with Nifedipine
& NA ; This study estimated the efficacy of sublingual nifedipine 10 mg vs. sublingual lacidipine 4 mg in the management of hypertensive crises . We studied 40 patients with diastolic blood pressure ≥120 mm Hg , who were divided into two groups of 20 . Blood pressure and heart rate were assessed in the recumbent position before treatment and after 30 , 120 , and 240 min . Comparison of the effectiveness of these drugs was analyzed by Student 's t test . Both drugs tested revealed a statistically significant hypotensive effect on diastolic and systolic blood pressure , and few side effects . Compared with lacidipine , nifedipine had a greater hypotensive effect on diastolic and systolic blood pressure in the first 30 min and on the diastolic blood pressure after the first 120 min . However , the hypotensive effect of lacidipine is statistically significant . After 4 h , both drugs showed a similar efficacy without significant statistical variations . We concluded that in the management of hypertensive crises the use of each of these drugs can have a particular range : nifedipine can be used when a pronounced and rapid blood pressure decrement is necessary , whereas lacidipine can be used when a more gradual effect is preferable
There is no RCT evidence demonstrating that antihypertensive drugs reduce mortality or morbidity in patients with hypertensive emergencies .
Furthermore , there is insufficient RCT evidence to determine which drug or drug class is most effective in reducing mortality and morbidity .
There were some minor differences in the degree of blood pressure lowering when one class of antihypertensive drug is compared to another .
However , the clinical significance is unknown .
Hypertensive emergencies occur when high blood pressure is associated with the presence of acute end-organ damage , such as hypertensive encephalopathy .
There is controversy as to when and which antihypertensive drugs to use in these situations .