A review of drug therapy for neonatal hypertension

Neonatal hypertension is becoming a more common diagnosis because of higher survival rates in premature infants and the need for intravascular access and invasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring. Defining hypertension in the neonatal population has been challenging, and understanding what constitutes a normal BP is still evolving. Five general classes of antihypertensives exist for the treatment of hypertension in neonates. Few studies are available to guide clinicians in the treatment of hypertension in neonates, and limited data exist regarding outcomes of hypertension in the neonatal period.