Clinical response of hypertensive children to long-term minoxidil therapy

The long-term effects of minoxidil were evaluated in 11 hypertensive children (5 male, 6 female) who used minoxidil for a minimum of 6 months. The selection of these patients for minoxidil therapy was made on the basis that their systolic and diastolic blood pressures were greater than the 99th percentile for age-matched normals, despite their use of at lest three other antihypertensive drugs. The starting daily dose of minoxidil was between 0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg, administered in two divided doses (maximum, 5 mg/kg/24 hr). They also received propranolol and either hydrochlorothiazide or furosemide throughout the period of study. A significant reduction in blood pressure was noted 1 week after starting minoxidil. Although blood pressure continued to decrease during the following 2 weeks in association with an increase in minoxidil dosage, the levels of blood pressure recorded throughout the remainder of the period of evaluation did not differ significantly from the values at 1 week. All children developed hypertrichosis over the forehead, trunk, and extremities, regardless of drug dosage. This remitted in all cases within 3 months after minoxidil was discontinued. No other adverse reactions were observed.