Propranolol and renal hemodynamics at rest and during exercise.

The effects of long-term propranolol treatment on renal hemodynamics at rest and during submaximal physical exercise were evaluated in 15 mild-to-moderate essential hypertensive patients. After 3-month treatment propranolol induced a significant decrease at rest both of effective renal plasma flow (-17.1%) and glomerular filtration rate (-7.4%) and an increase of renal vascular resistances (+11.8%). These changes were irrespective of response to treatment, degree of beta blockade, age, or initial values of hemodynamic parameters. The beta blocker had an additive effect to physical exercise in reducing renal perfusion, but it did not induce any qualitative variation in the response of renal hemodynamics to exercise.