Coma following treatment of very severe arterial hypertension, with improvement after dexamethasone therapy.

We describe two patients with very severe arterial hypertension, who were treated vigorously and effectively with hypotensive drugs. Both promptly developed gross neurological abnormalities, yet recovered fully after treatment with dexamethasone. We have found no similar published reports. We believe that these cases illustrate an important risk of treatment of severe hypertension, and we suggest that cerebral oedema developed, and was then relieved by dexamethasone.