Serum lipoprotein changes during atenolol treatment of essential hypertension.

Serum lipoproteins were determined in 15 patients before and during antihypertensive treatment with atenolol (0.1-0.2 g/day for a mean of 8 months. The mean blood pressure fell from 171/103 to 154/93 mm Hg (p less than 0.05). Significant lipoprotein changes were an increase in very low density triglycerides (VLDL-TG) from 1.21 +/- 0.95 (SD) to 1.62 +/- 1.24 mmol/l (p less than 0.01) and in low density (LDL) TG from 0.46 +/- 0.12 to 0.51 +/- 0.12 mmol/l (p less than 0.05). Together, these TG increases resulted in development of hypertriglyceridaemia in 7/15 patients during atenolol treatment. No effect on whole serum cholesterol or on the high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were found. Thus, some patients on long term treatment with atenolol seem to received the benefit of normotension at the cost of hypertriglyceridaemia. This may have practical implications, since hypertriglyceridaemia, constitutes an important risk factor for atherosclerosis.