Ketanserin versus alpha-methyldopa in the treatment of hypertension during pregnancy: a preliminary report.

The antihypertensive efficacy of acute treatment with the serotonin receptor antagonist, ketanserin, in women with preeclampsia has been recently documented. The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of chronic ketanserin treatment in a group of 20 hypertensive pregnant women: 10 received daily oral doses of ketanserin (20-80 mg), and 10 were treated with oral alpha-methyldopa (500-2000 mg). This study includes (a) patients with a sustained elevation of systolic blood pressure higher than 159 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure higher than 99 mm Hg at bed rest, and (b) hypertensive patients with systolic blood pressure higher than 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mm Hg with superimposed symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, and neurological disturbances. A significant and comparable decrease in blood pressure was noted in both groups, in relation with pretreatment levels; no adverse affects were observed in mother or fetus from the ketanserin and alpha-methyldopa groups.