Do beta blockers prevent pressor responses to mental stress and physical exercise?
Do beta blockers prevent the elevation of blood pressure induced by physical exercise and mental stress? The variations of blood pressure and pulse rate observed with dynamic effort and during tests of mental calculation, colour stress, and grip strength were measured in 15 hypertensive patients, before and after treatment with atenolol (100 mg day-1) and in a series of 16 normotensive control subjects. With treatment, the systolic and diastolic blood pressures and the pulse rate were significantly lowered in the hypertensive patients at rest. The tests of mental stress and static physical effort caused a rise in blood pressure, significantly greater in the untreated patients than in the control subjects. Atenolol diminished the rise in systolic blood pressure and pulse rate secondary to a dynamic effort, but did not significantly alter the blood pressure variations induced by static physical effort and mental stress. These findings are in agreement with previous results obtained with other beta blockers.
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000328:Adult; D001262:Atenolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007537:Isometric Contraction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005082:Physical Exertion; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D001262:Atenolol