Metoprolol in the treatment of essential hypertension
Salgueiro Rodríguez, M.; Pérez Pombo, S.; Beiras García, E.
Medicina Clinica 76(3): 121-124
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-7753 PMID: 7206875 Document Number: 181821
The cardioselective betablocking agent metoprolol was used to treat 21 outpatients with essential arterial hypertension graded 1 and 2 of the OMS scale. The treatment was given orally for a mean duration of nine weeks at doses of 100 mg/day for two weeks and 200 mg/day for the remaining time. The treatment caused a significant reduction of systolic and diastolic arterial pressure (p less than 0.001), both in the erect and the lying down position. The heart rate was also significantly reduced both in the lying down (p less than 0.01) and the erect (p less than 0.05) positions. Metoprolol was shown to be effective and well tolerated as an antihypertensive agent; the treatment had to be interrupted in a single case because of dizziness, tiredness and dullness.