Comparison of Hypotensive Action of Sodium Azide in Normotensive and Hypertensive Patients.

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Abstract
1. A comparison was made between the effects of sodium azide in both normotensive and hypertensive patients. Doses of 0.65-1.3 mg, administered orally, had a rapid hypotensive effect which persisted from 10-15 minutes. When given chronically to hypertensives (0.6-1.3 mg 3 to 4 times daily for periods up to 2 years), sodium azide produced a sustained lowering of the blood pressure toward normotensive levels. Repeated administration of the drug results in a greater hypotensive effect following equivalent doses and/or a progressively more sustained period of normotensive blood pressure levels. The observations indicate that a significant difference exists in the relative sensitivity of hypertensive and normotensive individuals to the hypotensive effects of sodium azide. 2. Intravenous injection of the drug to animals subjected to hemorrhage had no dilating effects on the constricted blood vessels in the exteriorized mesentery. Sodium azide (0.5 mg/100 g body wt) lowers the blood pressure of hypertensive rats. The observation that sodium azide in hypertensives rarely lowers the elevated blood pressure below normotensive levels suggests a general non-specific action of the drug on all vascular beds.