Persistence of normal BP after withdrawal of drug treatment in mild hypertension

• Antihypertensive therapy was discontinued in 24 patients with mild hypertension whose BPs had been well controlled with diuretics alone. Eleven patients (46%) maintained normal diastolic BPs (≤90 mm Hg) for six months after stopping treatment and five patients (21%) for 12 months. All patients who remained normotensive for six to 12 months had mean diastolic BPs of 82 mm Hg or less during treatment. There was no significant correlation between maintenance of normotension and any of the following: pretreatment BP, presence of target-organ damage, duration of known hypertension, family history of hypertension, heart rate, body weight, weight gain after stopping diuretic therapy, 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretion, serum electrolyte values or renin profile. This study demonstrates that hypertension may be favorably modified, sometimes for many months, by effective antihypertensive treatment.