Hydralazine is primarily classified as which type of medication?

Hydralazine is primarily classified as a vasodilator. As a vasodilator, it directly relaxes the smooth muscles of the arterioles, leading to a reduction in peripheral vascular resistance. This vasodilation effectively lowers blood pressure, making hydralazine a valuable option in the management of hypertension.

While it is also true that hydralazine serves as an anti-hypertensive medication due to its blood pressure-lowering effects, its primary classification focuses on its mechanism of action as a vasodilator. This is essential to understand because it distinguishes hydralazine's role in pharmacology from that of other anti-hypertensive agents that may work through different mechanisms, such as diuretics or beta-blockers. In clinical practice, the vasodilatory effects of hydralazine contribute significantly to its use in treating conditions like resistant hypertension or heart failure.