ABSTRACT
This study assessed the effectiveness of atenolol in the treatment of moderate and severe hypertension during pregnancy. Seventy patients (mean age, 30.3 +/- 6.0 years), 35.7% primiparous, were included. Three groups were formed according to Davey and MacGillivray's classification: 1) chronic hypertension without proteinuria (12 patients), 2) gestational hypertension without proteinuria (52 patients), and 3) preeclampsia (six patients). Treatment with atenolol was started when blood pressure was 150/100 mm Hg or higher after 48 hours' rest. The treatment lasted at least 1 week; follow-up was every 2 weeks up to week 36, and from then on, weekly up to delivery. If blood pressure exceeded 160/110 mm Hg and the fetus was not yet mature, a second drug was added. A significant decrease in blood pressure was observed in the three groups (group 1: 155.8 +/- 15.0/100.8 +/- 7.6 versus 135.0 +/- 12.9/85.0 +/- 6.7 mm Hg; group 2: 154.2 +/- 13.6/104.9 +/- 9.3 versus 129.6 +/- 10.2/83.7 +/- 9.1 mm Hg; group 3: 158.3 +/- 27.1/104.1 +/- 8.0 versus 129.1 +/- 6.6/87.5 +/- 6.1 mm Hg). The doses of atenolol were 62.5 +/- 23.0 mg/day in group 1, 70.0 +/- 30.0 mg/day in group 2, and 100.0 +/- 41.0 mg/day in group 3. There was no fetal mortality. No significant difference occurred in newborn body weights. Four babies from group 2 mothers had an Apgar score of less than 7 at 1 minute, but only one remained abnormal after 5 minutes. In the same group, three cases of respiratory distress were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
