Hypertension, Vol 5, 573-578, Copyright © 1983 by American Heart Association
G Mancia, A Ferrari, G Pomidossi, G Parati, G Bertinieri, G Grassi, L Gregorini and A Zanchetti
The effect of nadolol (N) on 24-hour blood pressure (BP) and heart rate
(HR) values and on their variability was examined in ambulant patients with
essential hypertension, using the Oxford method to obtain continuous
intraarterial recording and a computer to have a beat-to- beat analysis of
the data. The recording was carried out without treatment and after 10
days' administration of N once daily by mouth (dose range: 80-320 mg).
After N, 24-hour BP and HR were reduced by 17 +/- 3% and 27 +/- 4%
respectively as compared to before N, the effect being similar for both
systolic and diastolic BP. The hypertension and bradycardia were
significantly more marked during the day than during the night, neither
showing any attenuation in the hours furthest from the administration of
the drug. During N, there was a reduction in the 24-hour variation
coefficient for HR but the reduction was limited to the longer term
component of this phenomenon, the moment-to-moment variations remaining
unaffected. The long- and short-term variation coefficients for BP were not
modified under N. These findings suggest that N once a day can reduce BP
for 24 hours in ambulant hypertensive patients. The lack of alteration in
variability of BP and moment-to- moment HR suggests that the hypotension is
achieved without interfering with the mechanisms involved in cardiovascular
homeostasis.
ARTICLES
Twenty-four-hour hemodynamic profile during treatment of essential hypertension by once-a-day nadolol