The efficiency of atenolol for hypertension and coronary heart disease has been well documented in numerous comparative studies:

Like other antihypertensive drugs, atenolol lowers the systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 15 to 20% in a single drug treatment. In long-term treatment it has the ability to reduce cardiovascular mortality.

For chronic angina pectoris the frequency of attacks, the occurrence of silent ischemia, and the risk of an infarction are reduced. In this respect atenolol is superior to nifedipine and nitrates. For an acute myocardial infarction the extension of the infarction can be reduced if therapy is begun within the first 12 hours; complications and mortality are thus lessened. A long-term atenolol treatment after a myocardial infarction reduces the risk of re-infarction and the cardiovascular mortality. Its efficiency for Prinzmetal's angina is not as accurately documented.

Atenolol can also be considered for the therapy of supraventricular and selected cases of ventricular arrhythmias.

It can be combined with diuretics, vasodilators, ACE inhibitors, and other cardiac drugs. Mind the interactions when administering intravenously!

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