Objective: The main purpose of our study was to analyse efficacy and safety of acebutolol (Sectral) in the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy. Design: Cohort clinical study comparing efficacy and safety of acebutolol with other antihypertensive drugs by 77 patients and their 81 new-borns. The number of 48 patients were treated by acebutolol. Setting: Internal Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology Department, Regional Hospital, Nitra and The Faculty of Health Service and Social Work, University of Trnava; Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Regional Hospital Nitra and The Faculty of Health Service and Social Work, University of Trnava; Institute of Pharmacology, The Faculty of Medicine, Komenského University, Bratislava; Environment, a.s. Nitra. Methods: During the period of 6 years our patients were divided into subgroups according to the type of hypertension in pregnancy and the severity of the illness which was the basis for used antihypertensive drugs. One of the topics of the study was to provide monitoring of adverse events by mother and possible drug influence on their new-born has been evaluated by investigating the week of birth, weight and length of the newborn and evaluating of Apgar score. Results: In the subgroup of 48 women treated by acebutolol we have confirmed the efficacy and safety of this antihypertensive drug without any clinically significant effect on the quality of life of their new-born and evaluating of Apgar score. Conclusion: With regard to the results of our clinical study we can consider acebutolol to be effective and safe antihypertensive drug in the treatment of hypertension in pregnancy.

        Key words: hypertension in pregnancy, acebutolol, efficacy, safety