Arterial Hypertension — The Therapeutic Effect of Cation-Exchange Resins

Abstract

THE clinical application of cation-exchange resins provides a new means of controlling the sodium content of the body. Several reports on their uses and limitations in edematous states have been published,1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and one favorable report8 has been issued concerning their use in 6 patients with hypertension during a short-term study.Cation-exchange-resin therapy for hypertension rests upon three basic premises: these large, organic polymerized molecules are capable of absorbing sodium from ingested food and from the intestinal tract; restriction of the intake of sodium lowers the blood pressure in many patients with hypertension; and the rigid restriction of sodium needed to . . .