The
antihypertensive effects and safety profiles of carvedilol(test)were compared with atenolol(control)in double-blind,randomized
and controlled clinical trials with double-dummy technique in 205 patients with mild-to-moderate essential
hypertension. After 4 weeks of therapy, mean sitting systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were reduced by 10.8% and 12.7%, respectively in carvedilol, 13.3% and 13.4% in atenolol. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the efficiency between carvedilol and atenolol ( 85.1% vs 78.8%). Their
antihypertensive effects could persist for over 24 h when they were given once daily. After treatment with carvedilol for 6 months, the blood pressure of the patients were lowered to within normal limits, the left ventricular hypertrophy were reduced and the hemodynamics were improved. The common adverse effects of both drugs were fatigue and dizziness, which might become milder during the period of treatment. No patients withdrew from the treatment because of adverse reactions of the drugs. The results suggest that carvedilol is safe in its antihypertensive effects and is well tolerated by patients with mild_to_moderate hypertension. Compared with atenolol, the effects of carvedilol on the heart rate and biochemistry metabolism were slight.