Effect of bevantolol and propranolol on serum lipids in patients with essential hypertension

In patients with essential hypertension, the beta-blockers bevantolol or propranolol were administered once or twice a day for twelve weeks to evaluate the effects on blood pressure, and lipid metabolism. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly in response to both bevantolol and propranolol. The pulse-rate also decreased significantly in both groups. Total cholesterol did not change significantly in both groups. Triglycerides increased significantly in the bevantolol group. HDL cholesterol decreased significantly in the propranolol group. The LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio increased significantly in the propranolol group, while no significant increase was observed in the bevantolol group. The apolipoprotein B/A ratio was elevated in the propranolol group. No serious side-effects were noted during the study in both groups. These results indicate that bevantolol is an effective antihypertensive drug with fewer unfavorable effects on lipid metabolism than propranolol.