BACKGROUND: Carvedilol, an antihypertensive agent with beta-blocking and vasodilating pro-perties, has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing blood pressure. The purpose of this study is to compare the antihypertensive efficacy, safety and tolerability of carvedilol and atenolol in patients with stage 1 to 2 essential hypertension. METHODS: In this double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, parallel study, the efficacy, safety and tolerability of once-daily carvedilol versus once-daily atenolol were evaluated in 58 patients for 8 weeks with stage 1-2 hypertension. If mean peak sitting diastolic blood pressure was equal to or greater than 90mmHg after a 4 week treatment period, the dosage for both study drugs were doubled until the end of study. RESULTS: Data from 58 of 73 patients who completed the study were eligible for per-protocol analysis. At 4 weeks post treatment commencement, mean reductions in peak sitting diastolic blood pressure were 13.9mmHg (95% confidence interval 17.1-11.4) with 25mg carvedilol and 13.6mmHg (95% confidence interval 16.8-10.3) with 50mg atenolol. After the 8 week treatment period with dose titration, mean reductions in peak sitting diastolic blood pressure were 14.7mmHg (95% confidence interval 17.8-11.6) with 50mg carvedilol and 13.6mmHg (95% confidence interval 17.3-9.9) with 100mg atenolol. There were no statistically significant differences between the two treatments in the percentage of patients achieving a normalized blood pressure or in the degree of change in mean peak sitting diastolic blood pressure. Safety profiles were similar between treatments. One patient withdrew due to severe bradycardia development during the second week of treatment with atenolol. CONCLUSION: In patients with mild to moderate hypertension, there were no significant differences between the efficacy of carvedilol or atenolol with regard to antihypertensive effect. Both carvedilol and atenolol were well tolerated with similar safety profiles.
Atenolol* ; Blood Pressure ; Bradycardia ; Humans ; Hypertension*

BACKGROUND: Oral beta-blocker is initially used to prevent the symptons in patients with vasovagal syncope or presyncope. But, beta-blocker treatment may actually cause worsening of symptoms in some patients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral beta-blocker in preventing symptoms during repeat head-up tilt test in patients who had a positive response in initial head-up tilt test. METHOD: Patients. Among the 150 patients with unexplained syncope or presyncope who underwent head-up tilt from October 1994 to January 1996, forty-three patients, who were taking beta-blocker and underwent repeat head-up tilted test, were included in this study. Initial head-up tilt test. Each patients was tilted to the 70 degree upright position for 30 minutes. If the test was negative in the baseline tilt, intravenous isoproterenol was started at 1 (micro)g/min and then increased by 1 (micro)g/min every three minutes to al maximum of 5 (micro)g/min while maintaining 70 degree upright position. Repeat head-up tilt test. The test was repeated while each patients was taking atinolol. The repeat test was continued until reaching at the stage where each patient had a positive response in initial test. RESULTS: 1) In initial head-up tilt test, most (91%) of a positive response occured during isoproterenol provocation. 2) In repeat head-up tilt test on atenolol, thirty-four patients(79%) had a negative response. But nine patients(21%) still had a positive response. 3) Nonresponsive group showed younger age and shorter time period to a positive response in initial head-up tilt test than responsive group. CONCLUSION: It may be useful to assess the effectiveness of beta-blocker by repeat head-up tilt before deciding long term treatment, especially younger age group.
Adult* ; Atenolol ; Humans ; Isoproterenol ; Syncope* ; Syncope, Vasovagal*

Atenolol is a beta1-selective adrenoreceptor blocking agent which is generally thought of as cardioselective, with little CNS action, because it has hydrophilic solubility rather than lipophilic. But recently, it has been reported that atenolol also can cause CNS side effect, especially in the patient with past neuropsychiatric history, old age, or underlying cerebral lesion. This 59-year-old female case demonstrated that atenolol could be an etiological agent of visual hallucination in a elderly patient with cerebral infarction.
Aged ; Atenolol* ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Female ; Hallucinations* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Solubility

This study was made to evaluate the effect of oral atenolol, a cardioselective beta-adrenergic blocking agent without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, on left ventricular function in patient with essential hypertension. Atenolol, 100mg/day, was given to 11 hypertensive patients for 4 weeks, and its effects on arterial pressure, pulse rate, left ventricular dimensions and ejection phase indices of myocardial performance were examined by echocardiography. Echocardiographic studies were performed before treatment and after 4 weeks of atenolol therapy. Arterial pressure fell form 145/90 mmHg to 138/84mmHg after 4 weeks. Pulse rate fell significantly from 69/min to 58/min(p<0.05). Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions and mean rate of circumferential fiber shortening(mVcf) did not change significantly. Ejection fraction increased significantly from 0.66 to 0.72(p=0.01). This results indicate that atenolol in the resting state has no depressant effect on left ventricular function in patients with essential hypertension.
Arterial Pressure ; Atenolol* ; Echocardiography ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Ventricular Function, Left*

The antihypertensive effect and side reactions of nicardipine were observed in 30 cases of essential hypertension, and following results were obtained. 1) Nicardipine has very good antihypertensive effect. After medication alone or combined with atenolol, both systolic and diastolic pressure dropped significantly. 2) The overall effectiveness was 86%. 3) Postural hypotension was not observed. 4) The heart rate was not changed after medication of nicardipine. 5) The side efect was observed in 5 cases such as headache, facial flushing, dizziness and anorexia, but 3 cases were tolerable to continue medication.
Anorexia ; Atenolol ; Blood Pressure ; Dizziness ; Flushing ; Headache ; Heart Rate ; Hypertension ; Hypotension, Orthostatic ; Nicardipine*

BACKGROUND: Alterations of mechanical properties in the vasculature may contribute to complications of hypertension. Since angiotensin II plays a pivotal role in these vascular abnormalities, we tested the hypothesis that the AT1 angiotensin receptor antagonist irbesartan, in contrast to the beta-blocker atenolol, would correct artery stiffness in essential hypertensive patients. METHODS: Thirty untreated essential hypertensive patients (48 +/- 7 years, range 35-65; 72% male) were randomly assigned in a single-blind fashion to irbesartan or atenolol treatment for 6 months. Fifty one age/sex-matched normotensive subjects were also studied. Systemic arterial stiffness (augmentation index; AI) was measured by the pressure transfer function using radial pulse tonometry. RESULTS: Both treatments reduced blood pressure (BP) to a comparable degree (irbesartan: 160 +/- 19/105 +/- 13 to 133 +/- 16/92 +/- 10 mmHg, p<0.01; atenolol: 166 +/- 17/113 +/- 9 to 132 +/- 15/90 +/- 8 mmHg, p<0.01). Other hemodynamic parameters of peripheral and central arteries showed similar degree of reduction, except significant reduction of central pulse pressure with irbesartan treatment (42 +/- 20 to 29 +/- 8 mmHg, p=0.01 vs 41 +/- 14 to 34 +/- 12 mmHg of atenolol treatment). After 6-month treatment, systemic arterial stiffness (AI) was significantly reduced from 28 +/- 11 to 21 +/- 11% (p=0.01) after irbesartan but atenolol treatment showed no change (from 29 +/- 8 to 29 +/- 13%). Reversal of arterial stiffness correlated mostly with reduction of central pulse pressure (r=0.63, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The AT1 angiotensin antagonist irbesartan corrected the altered arterial stiffness from patients with essential hypertension by reduction of central pulse pressure, whereas the beta-blocker atenolol had no effect.
Angiotensin II ; Angiotensins* ; Arteries ; Atenolol ; Blood Pressure ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Manometry ; Receptors, Angiotensin ; Vascular Stiffness*

Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic drug used in the treatement of edema and hypertension. We report a case of hydrochlorothiazide induced photosensitivity in a 54 year old woman who had taken hydrochlorothiazide for 3 years for hypertension. She complained of itching and burning sensation with erythematous papules and lichenified plaques on light-exposed areas. Fhototest showed marked decrease of the minimal erythema dose(MED) for UVA. The symptoms subsided after the use of topical steroid and the substitution atenolol for hydrochlorothiazide.
Atenolol ; Burns ; Edema ; Erythema ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrochlorothiazide* ; Hypertension ; Middle Aged ; Pruritus ; Sensation

The effect of Atenolol on the blood pressure were studied in 31 cases of essential hypertension and on the effect of plasma renin activity in 8 cases. There were 8 cases of male with age 49.5(42-70) and 23 cases of female with age 49(35-71) years. 27 cases of 31 cases were untreated hypertensive patients and 4 cases were refractory to hypotensive drugs of diuretics and vasodilators. The Atenolol 50mg once-daily was given to all patients orally for 3 weeks. The blood pressure, heart rate, ECG and symptoms were checked in one week interval. In 8 cases, the plasma renin activity was measured by Dainabot Kit before and after one week medication. The results were as follows: 1. In 27 cases of untreated hypertension, the control blood pressure was 182.9/11.4mmHg in average. The blood pressure decreased in average by 18.3/11mmHg in one week, 23.7/15.9mmHg in two week and 21.5/10.5mmHg in three week. The heart rate also decreased by 7.4/min. in one week, 14.9/min. in two week and 7.8/min. in three week. These data showed considerable reduction of blood pressure and heart rate with 50mg Atenolol once-daily. 2. The basal plasma renin activity after one week medication was reduced by 46% in 8 cases and this data showed considerable reduction regardless control level of basal plasma renin activity. 3. There were considerable blood pressure reduction by adding Atenolol 50mg once-daily to diuretics and vasodilator to which patient's blood pressures were refractory. 4. There was no orthostatic hypotension or serious side effect by Atenolol medication.
Atenolol ; Blood Pressure* ; Diuretics ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypotension, Orthostatic ; Male ; Plasma* ; Renin* ; Vasodilator Agents

Higenamine was isolated originally from Aconiti tuber from Aconitum species and recently Higenamine was synthesized. The purpose of this study is to investigate the adrenergic effect of Higenamine on rabbit cardiovascular system. Blood pressure, cardic output, systemic vascular resistance and heart rate were measured after intravenous injection of Higenamine(2-100microg/kg/min). The effects of Higenamine were compared with those of other sympathomimetic drugs. The changes in the cardiovascular systems after pretreatment with Propranolol, Atenolol and Hexamethonium were also studied. The following results were obtained. 1) Higenamine increased the cardic output and the heart rate and decreased the blood pressure and the systemic vascular resistance. Those changes were dose-dependent. The duration of action of Higenamine was 5 to 8 minutes. 2) The effects of Higenamine were similar to those of Isoproterenol. The amount of Higenamine was more than 100 times the required amount of Isoproterenol in order to obtain the same casdiovascular effects. 3) The effects of Higenamine were blocked by Propranolol, The increase of cardic output and heart rate were blocked by Hexamethonium. Higenamine has stimulating action on beta1 and beta2 receptors. But Higenamine is much less potent than Isoproterenol.
Aconitum ; Adrenergic Agents* ; Atenolol ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular System* ; Heart Rate ; Hexamethonium ; Injections, Intravenous ; Isoproterenol ; Propranolol ; Sympathomimetics ; Vascular Resistance

"Idiopathic long QT syndrome" is characterized by prolongation of the QT interval due to unusual electrocardiographic repolarization abnormality and associated with variable clinical manifestations from no specific symptoms in lifetime to syncope or even sudden death. The prognosis of this syndrome is very grave and motality is approximately 50% within 10 years among untreated symptomatic patients after the initial syncope. But this sudden onset syncope may be misdiagnosed as epilepsy, being treated with antiepileptic drug for many years. However, this high mortality has been significantly reduced to less than 5% by the effective therapy. Therefore, it is crucial to make an early and accurate dianosis. We exprienced a case of 34 months old male who presented with recurrent syncopal attacks. He had no specific neurological abnomal finding except congenital deafness. He had normal EEG and brain MRI findings but ECG showed prolonged QT interval (QTc= 0.5), findings of which were compatible with long QT syndrome. He is currently being followed at OPD, but the pateint is still experiencing syncopal attack despite of treatment with beta-blocker, atenolol. Therefore, we are considering an insertion of pacemaker or performing thoracic sympathectomy.
Atenolol ; Brain ; Child, Preschool ; Deafness ; Death, Sudden ; Electrocardiography ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy* ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Sympathectomy ; Syncope