Arterial pressure responses to discontinuing antihypertensive drugs.

rose promptly and treatment was restarted within a month. Among essential hypertensive patients, those who remained off treatment for 2 to 6 months had significantly lower pretreatment pressure than those whose hypertension returned in less than 2 months. The two whose diastolic hypertension seemed "cured" had no distinguishing features. These results suggest that most hypertensive patients require continuous treatment for good pressure control; downward resetting of pressure by treatment is rare.