Atenolol and enalapril do not appear to influence quality of life

' ... Therapy with either atenolol or enalapril does not appear to affect the quality of life of hypertensive patients with a history of taking diuretics.' Antihypertensive effects and the incidence of adverse effects were comparable.

Patients with mild to moderate hypertension, not adequately controlled by hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg/day, randomly received additional atenolol 50-100 mg once-daily (n == 15) or enalapril 2.5-40 mg once-daily (15) in a double-blind fashion during a 4-week titration period, after a 4-week placebo phase. The titration phase was followed by an 8-week maintenance phase.

Atenolol significantly reduced phobic anxiety subscores at weeks 8 and 16 and significantly reduced scores of the digit span (backward) memory subset at week 16 compared with enalapril, however, there were no significant between-group differences for anxiety, depression, psychiatric symptoms, anger-hostility or psychotic behaviour or other memory subtests. Reductions in diastolic BP were significantly greater with atenolol than enalapril at the end of the titration phase but not the end of the maintenance phase, while reductions in HR were significantly greater with atenolol at the end of both treatment phases. Three atenolol and 2 enalapril recipients experienced adverse effects; postural hypotension, and dizziness and postural hypotension, respectively. Blumenthal .IA. Eke lund L·G. Emery C F. Quality of life a mong hypertensive patie nt s with a diureti c background wh o arc ta king atenolol and e nalapril. Clinical Pha rmacology and Therape utics 48: 447.454. Oct 1 990 ,,·n

8 8 Dec 1990 INPHARMA@ ISSN 0156-2703/ 90/ 1108-0008/ 0$01.00/0 © Adis International Ltd