Hydralazine
Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
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1-hydrazinylphthalazine
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Clinical data | |
Trade names | Apresoline |
AHFS/Drugs.com | monograph |
MedlinePlus | a682246 |
Licence data | US FDA:link |
Pregnancy category |
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Legal status | |
Routes of administration |
Oral, intravenous |
Pharmacokinetic data | |
Bioavailability | 26-50% |
Protein binding | 85-90% |
Metabolism | Hepatic |
Biological half-life | 2-8 hours, 7-16 hours (renal impairment) |
Excretion | Renal |
Identifiers | |
CAS Number | 86-54-4 |
ATC code | C02DB02 (WHO) |
PubChem | CID: 3637 |
IUPHAR/BPS | 7326 |
DrugBank | DB01275 |
ChemSpider | 3511 |
UNII | 26NAK24LS8 |
KEGG | D08044 |
ChEBI | CHEBI:5775 |
ChEMBL | CHEMBL276832 |
Chemical data | |
Formula | C8H8N4 |
Molecular mass | 160.176 g/mol |
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Hydralazine (Apresoline) is a direct-acting smooth muscle relaxant used to treat hypertension by acting as a vasodilator primarily in arteries and arterioles. By relaxing vascular smooth muscle, vasodilators act to decrease peripheral resistance, thereby lowering blood pressure and decreasing afterload.[1]
However, this only has a short term effect on blood pressure, as the system will reset to the previous, high blood pressure needed to maintain pressure in the kidney necessary for natriuresis. The long-term effect of antihypertensive drugs comes from their effects on the pressure natriuresis curve. It belongs to the hydrazinophthalazine class of drugs.[2]
It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.[3]
Contents
Medical use
Hydralazine is not used as a primary drug for treating hypertension because it elicits a reflex sympathetic stimulation of the heart (the baroreceptor reflex).[4] The sympathetic stimulation may increase heart rate and cardiac output, and in patients with coronary artery disease may cause angina pectoris or myocardial infarction.[1] Hydralazine may also increase plasma renin concentration, resulting in fluid retention. To prevent these undesirable side effects, hydralazine is usually prescribed in combination with a beta-blocker (e.g., propranolol) and a diuretic.[1] In the UK, labetalol tends to be the first-line beta-blocker.
Hydralazine is used to treat severe hypertension, but again, it is not a first-line therapy for essential hypertension. However, hydralazine is the first-line therapy for hypertension in pregnancy, with methyldopa.[5] It has also been used successfully as a treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome in its capacity as a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor.[6]
Hydralazine is commonly used in combination with isosorbide dinitrate for the treatment of congestive heart failure in self-identified African American populations. This preparation, BiDil, was the first race-based prescription drug.
Side effects
Very common (>10% frequency) side effects include:[7]
- Headache
- High heart rate
- Palpitations
Common (1-10% frequency) side effects include:[7][8]
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- Flushing
- Hypotension
- Anginal symptoms
- Joint ache
- Positive test for ANF
- Gastrointestinal disturbances
- Diarrhoea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Joint swelling
- Muscle aches
- Oedema (sodium and water retention)
Uncommon (0.1-1% frequency) side effects include:[7][8]
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- Nasal congestion
- Heart failure
- Dizziness
- Rash
- Lupus-like syndrome
- Protein in the urine
- Increased plasma creatinine
- Blood in the urine
- Glomerulonephritis
- Jaundice
- Liver enlargement
- Hepatitis
- Agitation
- Weight loss
- Appetite loss
- Anxiety
- Blood dyscrasias
- Increased lacrimation
- Conjunctivitis
- Nasal congestion
- Dyspnoea
- Pleural pain
- Fever
- Malaise
- Hypersensitivity reactions
Rare (<0.1% frequency) side effects include:[7][8]
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- Paradoxical pressor responses
- Pins and needles (might be reversed by pyridoxine administration)
- Peripheral neuritis
- Polyneuritis
- Tremor
- Paralysed bowel
- Acute kidney failure
- Urinary retention
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Haemolytic anaemia
- Leucocytosis
- Lymphadenopathy
- Pancytopenia
- Splenomegaly
- Agranulocytosis
- Exophthalmos
- Retroperitoneal fibrosis
Contraindications
Contraindications include:[7]
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- Known hypersensitivity to hydralazine or dihydralazine
- Idiopathic systemic lupus erythematosus and related diseases
- Severe tachycardia and heart failure with a high cardiac output (e.g. in thyrotoxicosis)
- Myocardial insufficiency due to mechanical obstruction (e.g. in the presence of aortic or
mitral stenosis or constrictive pericarditis).
- Isolated right-ventricular heart failure due to pulmonary hypertension (cor pulmonale)
- Dissecting aortic aneurysm
Interactions
It may potentiate the antihypertensive effects of:[7]
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- Vasodilators
- Calcium antagonists
- ACE inhibitors
- Diuretics
- Antihypertensives
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Major tranquillisers
- Ethanol (alcohol)
- Diazoxide
Drugs subject to a strong first-pass effect such as beta-blockers may increase the bioavailability of hydralazine.[7] Epinephrine (adrenaline)'s heart rate-accelerating effects are increased by hydralazine, hence may lead to toxicity.[7]
Mechanism of action
Hydralazine causes arterial vasodilation by an, as of yet, unclarified mechanism. Hydralazine requires the endothelium to provide nitric oxide,[9] thus only causes vasodilation in vivo with functional endothelium. Hydralazine will not cause vasodilation in vitro in an isolated blood vessel.
Activation of hypoxia-inducible factors has been suggested as a mechanism.[10]
See also
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Harvey, Richard A., Pamela A. Harvey, and Mark J. Mycek. Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lipincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2000. 190.
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- ↑ Kandler MR, Mah GT, Tejani AM, Stabler SN, Salzwedel DM. Hydralazine for essential hypertension. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD004934. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004934.pub4.
- ↑ Bhushan, Vikas, Tao T. Lee, and Ali Ozturk. First Aid for the USMLE Step 1. New York: McGraw-Hill Medical, 2007. 251.
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