The effect of short- and long-term administration of
carteolol on renal function has been examined in healthy subjects and in hypertensive patients with or without
renal failure. In healthy subjects neither a single dose of 10 mg
carteolol nor continuous administration of 20 mg/day for 7 days had any effect on
creatinine clearance and renal blood flow. In all subjects the clearance rate of
carteolol was about 400 ml/min and its fractional excretion of
carteolol exceeded 300%, suggesting that the
drug is secreted actively from renal tubules. Twenty-three hypertensive patients with or without renal dysfunction were given
carteolol 10 to 20 mg/day for more than 50 weeks in addition to their standard
antihypertensive regimens, which were left changed. Laboratory results were compared with the mean values of 50 weeks before and after the addition of
carteolol, and none, including plasma
creatinine, blood
urea nitrogen and
electrolytes, were significantly changed. Neither the estimated glomerular filtration rate nor the effect of the
drug on blood pressure changed significantly during this prolonged treatment. It is concluded that
carteolol had no effect on renal function in healthy subjects and in hypertensive patients with or without
renal failure.