Final answer:
Hydralazine is a medication primarily used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure, working as a vasodilator to relax blood vessels.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hydralazine is a medication used to lower blood pressure and treat cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension), heart failure, and chest pain (angina). It works by acting as a vasodilator, which means it relaxes and widens blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to pump blood. This not only helps in lowering blood pressure but also improves symptoms of heart failure and can slow certain types of irregular heartbeat or arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation.
In addition to hydralazine, other classes of antihypertensive medications include thiazide-diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). It's important to note that while ACE inhibitors work by blocking the production of angiotensin II, which can increase blood pressure, hydralazine primarily focuses on vasodilation and increasing glomerular filtration rate, ultimately decreasing sodium reabsorption in the kidneys.
For individuals with high blood pressure unresponsive to standard therapies, hydralazine is often used in combination with other medications to help reduce swelling (edema) from excess buildup of fluid in the body. By doing so, it also helps to relieve heart failure symptoms when patients aren't responding to ACE inhibitors and diuretics.