Premium
Effects of β 1 ‐ and β 2 ‐blockade on blood pressure and sympathetic responses to flight phobia stress
Author(s) -
Ekeberg Øivind,
Kjeldsen Sverre E,
Eide Ivar K,
Greenwood David T,
Enger Erik
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1038/clpt.1990.81
Subject(s) - blood pressure , blockade , heart rate , atenolol , norepinephrine , epinephrine , placebo , anesthesia , medicine , hemodynamics , catecholamine , sympathetic nervous system , pathology , dopamine , receptor , alternative medicine
Cardiovascular and sympathoadrenal effects of short‐term oral treatment with β 1 ‐blockade (atenolol, 50 mg, administered two times) and β 2 ‐blockade (ICI 118,551, 50 mg, administered three times) were compared with placebo during actual flying in subjects with flight phobia ( n = 34). β 1 ‐Blockade lowered resting blood pressure and heart rate and prevented a heart rate response but not a blood pressure response to this psychologic stress. β 2 ‐Blockade minimally lowered resting heart rate and prevented a heart rate response, but it failed to lower resting blood pressure or blood pressure response to the stress. Plasma epinephrine increased with all three treatments and more with β 1 ‐blockade than with placebo. Plasma norepinephrine decreased with administration of β 2 ‐blockade. Thus neither β 1 ‐ nor β 2 ‐blockade prevents an increase in blood pressure during acute flight phobia stress. Increased plasma epinephrine seems to be the sympathetic variable that is closest related to this increase in blood pressure. Norepinephrine may be less consistently related to the blood pressure rise during flight phobia stress as shown by the decrease in plasma norepinephrine with administration of β 2 ‐blockade. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1990) 47, 599–607; doi: 10.1038/clpt.1990.81