[Treatment of the hypertensive crisis in general practice and the clinic]

Patients with a hypertensive crisis should, if possible be treated in hospital. Although such drugs as sodium nitroprusside, diazoxide, dihydralazine, and clonidine have been very useful and effective in the past in the treatment of severe arterial hypertension, they are now being replaced by drugs as nifedipine, urapidil, captopril, and co-dergocrine mesylate, which maintain cerebral and coronary blood flow while effective by lowering blood pressure. Practical recommendations are given for the emergency out-of-hospital treatment of hypertensive crises.