[Comparative effects of pindolol and atenolol on blood pressure and lipids in mild to moderate arterial hypertension].

Twenty-one patients with mild or moderate hypertension were randomised to receive either Atenolol 100 mg (N = 10) or Pindolol 15 mg (N = 11) in a once daily dosage over a two month period. The effects of these two betablockers on the blood pressure and plasma lipid profile were studied. Special attention was paid to the methodology: obese patients (30% over theoretical weight derived from the Lorenz formula) and those with pre-treatment triglyceride levels higher than 1.82 mmol/l were excluded because of the well documented biological instability of such patients. The selected patients were given placebo for two weeks. At the end of the placebo period those subjects whose body weight, total cholesterol, apolipoproteins or triglycerides had varied by more than 10%, 15% and 30% respectively, were also excluded from the study. At the end of the 60 days active treatment period, a comparable fall in the blood pressure was observed in both groups and there was no significant difference in the biological parameters as compared with pre-treatment values. In addition, the cardiovascular risk, evaluated by the B/A1 apolipoprotein ratio, increased in only one patient in the group receiving Atenolol and one patient receiving Pindolol.