Atenolol in the management of hypertension during pregnancy

beta -Blockers were slow to gain acceptance in the management of hypertension during pregnancy because a wide range of adverse effects were ascribed to them. The authors have recently completed a randomised, placebo-controlled and double-blind study of atenolol in pregnancy-associated hypertension. Major findings were that blood pressure was significantly reduced in the atenolol group. For those women who did not have proteinuria at entry, the development of proteinuria was significantly less in the atenolol group and obstetricians tended to manage the atenolol group more often as outpatients as compared with the placebo group. The range of serious adverse effects in the neonate was the same in both groups.