[Experiences with nifedipine in the treatment of acute hypertension in childhood].

The efficacy of Nifedipine (N) as an antihypertensive drug was assessed in 4 children aged 6-12 years with acute severe hypertension. In one child with a hypertensive encephalopathy N 10 mg administered sublingually in addition to other antihypertensive drugs caused a prompt fall in blood pressure followed by a rapid clinical improvement. In the other 3 children N 10 mg reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 13.7% and 16.4% respectively. This antihypertensive action lasted for about 3-4 hours and was associated with an increase in heart rate by 11.5%. The antihypertensive effects of N are positively related to pretreatment blood pressure. These results provide support that N is a safe and effective drug for controlling blood pressure also in hypertensive emergencies of children.