In a 12-month study of 12 patients with
essential hypertension treated with once-daily
celiprolol, 200 mg, mean supine blood pressure was reduced from 162/102 to 134/84 mm Hg (p less than 0.005)and standing pressures from 155/101 to 134/88 mm Hg (p less than 0.05). Similarly, heart rate fell from 83 to 71 beats/min in the supine position and from 90 to 79 beats/min in the standing position. Serum
cholesterol level also fell from 5.35 to 4.78 mmol/L (p less than 0.01) and was accompanied by a nonsignificant loss of
body weight.
Lipid electrophoresis showed a nonsignificant increase in the high-density
lipid fraction, from 1.2 to 1.7 mmol/L, and a significant decrease in the low-density
lipid fraction, from 3.4 to 2.7 mmol/L (p less than 0.01). Serum
triglyceride levels also decreased from 1.85 to 1.37 mmol/L (p less than 0.02), and low-density
lipid-high-density
lipid ratio fell from 3.29 to 2.03 (p less than 0.02). There was an unexpected reduction in serum
fibrinogen levels, from 288 to 253 mg/dl (p less than 0.01). Aside from a slight reduction in the fasting
blood glucose, there were no other significant changes in the urine or blood parameters, and no adverse
drug effects occurred. It is likely that
celiprolol's effect in reducing
fibrinogen levels may minimize the increase in blood viscosity associated with the hypertensive state, whereas its effects on
fibrinogen may herald a reduction in hypertensive complications such as
thrombosis or
retinal "cotton wool exudates." This warrants further investigation."