Treatment of essential hypertension with chlorothiazide (diuril); its use alone and combined with other antihypertensive agents.

Chlorothiazide (Diuril) was synthesized by Novello and Sprague, who also reported on its diuretic properties.’ Pharmacological studies in animals revealed that the orally administered drug produced a marked increase in the urinary excretion of sodium, potassium, and chloride.” No evidence of tolerance developed on continued administration. Ford and Moyer and their co-workers confirmed in man that chlorothiazide was a potent diuretic and saluretic agent.’ Trials of orally given chlorothiazide in this clinic in hypertensive patients indicated that the drug potentiated markedly the action of various antihypertensive agents, resulting in improved blood pressure control, greater ease of dosage adjustment of antihypertensive drugs, and a considerable improvement in the incidence of side-effects due to the ability to reduce the dosage or discontinue use of ganglionic blocking agents.4 This report presents these results in greater detail.