Beta-blockers appear to be no more effective and probably equally as safe .
It is unusual for women to change drugs due to side effects .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Improvement in control of maternal blood pressure with use of beta-blockers would be worthwhile only if it were reflected in substantive benefits for mother and /or baby , and none have been clearly demonstrated .
Large r and omised trials are needed to determine whether antihypertensive therapy in general ( rather than beta-blocker therapy specifically ) results in greater benefit than risk , for treatment of mild-moderate pregnancy hypertension .
BACKGROUND Antihypertensives , such as beta-blockers , are used for pregnancy hypertension in the belief these will improve outcome for mother and baby .
OBJECTIVES To assess whether oral beta-blockers are better than placebo , or no beta-blocker , and have advantages over other antihypertensives , for women with mild to moderate pregnancy hypertension .
Uterine and fetal hemodynamics and fetal cardiac function after atenolol and pindolol infusion. A randomized study.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the short-term effects of intravenously given atenolol and pindolol on utero- and umbilicoplacental vascular impedance , fetal hemodynamics and cardiac function in patients suffering from pregnancy-induced hypertension . STUDY DESIGN A total of 24 women were r and omized to receive atenolol or pindolol infusion . By using pulsed color Doppler techniques , uterine , placental arcuate , umbilical fetal middle cerebral and renal arteries were examined before , at the end and 30 min after the end of infusion . Pulsatility indices ( PI ) were calculated to assess vascular impedance . Fetal myocardial function was evaluated by using pulsed Doppler and M-mode echocardiography . Peak systolic velocities from the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunk , and also inner diameters and fractional shortenings of both ventricles were measured . RESULTS Both drugs significantly decreased maternal blood pressure . Immediately after the infusion , maternal heart rate was significantly decreased in both groups ; but the decrease was clearer and lasted longer in the atenolol group . Pindolol caused no changes in utero- or umbilicoplacental vascular impedance , while atenolol increased it in the nonplacental uterine artery . After atenolol infusion , PI in the umbilical artery was higher than after pindolol . Pindolol had no effects on fetal hemodynamics , while atenolol decreased PI value in the fetal renal artery . Peak systolic velocity in the pulmonary trunk was decreased after atenolol . Pindolol did not affect the fetal cardiac function . In subgroups with originally increased utero- or umbilicoplacental vascular impedance , the responses in uterine and umbilical vascular impedance and in fetal hemodynamics and cardiac function after atenolol and pindolol were different compared to whole groups . CONCLUSION Differently acting antihypertensive agents seem to affect differently uteroplacental vascular impedance .  Atenolol may have some direct effects on fetal hemodynamics and cardiac function . According to our results , pindolol seems to be more preferable in the treatment of pregnancy-induced hypertension than atenolol
Beta-blockers appear to be no more effective and probably equally as safe .
It is unusual for women to change drugs due to side effects .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Improvement in control of maternal blood pressure with use of beta-blockers would be worthwhile only if it were reflected in substantive benefits for mother and /or baby , and none have been clearly demonstrated .
Large r and omised trials are needed to determine whether antihypertensive therapy in general ( rather than beta-blocker therapy specifically ) results in greater benefit than risk , for treatment of mild-moderate pregnancy hypertension .
BACKGROUND Antihypertensives , such as beta-blockers , are used for pregnancy hypertension in the belief these will improve outcome for mother and baby .
OBJECTIVES To assess whether oral beta-blockers are better than placebo , or no beta-blocker , and have advantages over other antihypertensives , for women with mild to moderate pregnancy hypertension .