Relationship between atenolol and early development of heart failure in hypertensive patients

Abstract

Background:
Atenolol is one of b–adrenergic receptor blocking agent, that is widely and commonly used in the treatment of hypertension, its lowering high blood pressure effectively but, it has many side effects on different body organs and tissues, some of them are serious.
Objectives:
To prove the association between Atenolol and heart failure through studying the effects of this drug on the levels of some parameters that are present in the blood including: total serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride and aspartate transaminase enzyme in early and long term usage of this drug by hypertensive patients, these parameters are chosen because they give an early indication about future development of cardiovascular disease.
Methods:
Case comparative study was conducted in Al-Yarmouk teaching hospital for one year and seven months on (40) hypertensive patients, they were divided
into (2) groups according to the duration of the treatment:
Group І: (20) patients with mean age (56 + 8) years .They used the drug for a period from (1-3) years.
Group II: also (20) patients with mean age (55+ 8) years used the drug for (4- 10) years.
Both groups were with the same number of sex and nearly the same age, venous blood samples are taken from each patients and levels of total serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride (S.TG), and Aspartate transaminase (AST) were estimated and compared between the (2) groups.
Results:
The mean of total serum cholesterol was significantly higher in group II than in group I (p<0.05) , the mean of S.TG was significantly higher in group II (p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Atenolol causes increase levels of total serum cholesterol, S.TG and AST and this increase is directly proportion to the duration of the drug usage and as they are affect on cardiovascular system and causing cardiovascular diseases by their high levels , so Atenolol has significant correlation with the development
of cardiovascular diseases especially heart failure.