Background: Essential hypertension is considered one of the major risk factors for morbidity and mortality in modern civilized life. Because of the involvement of ions in contraction of excitable tissues like vascular smooth muscles and myocardium, alteration in the cation transport across cell membrane plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of β blocker, atenolol and ACE inhibitor, enalapril on the concentration of serum sodium, potassium and calcium in pre and postmenopausal hypertensive women as compared to normotensive women. Methods: The study was conducted in the medicine department of the institution. For the study, selection of 30 pre and 30 postmenopausal women patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension and 60 normal controls for both the groups was done. The age group of premenopausal hypertensive women was 30-50 years and for postmenopausal hypertensive women it was 50-70 years. Venous blood sample was withdrawn from the study groups and serum was used for estimation of serum sodium, potassium and calcium. 'Systronic' flame photometer was used for estimation of serum sodium and potassium. Results: A significant decrease in the blood pressure of patients treated with both atenolol and enalapril was observed in groups of pre and postmenopausal women with essential hypertension. Significant variations were seen in the concentrations of serum sodium, potassium and calcium (p<0.01) in pre and postmenopausal women with essential hypertension as compared to normal control. We observed significant decrease in the level of serum potassium, calcium and parallel increase in the level of serum sodium in the study subjects before treatment. In postmenopausal essential hypertensive patients, decrease in serum calcium was not found. Conclusion: The effect of β blocker, atenolol on the electrolyte balance shows that it lowers blood pressure by decreasing plasma renin activity. Status of renin in patient may be a marker for the responsiveness to β adrenoreceptor blocker, atenolol. Adenylatecyclase system is also activated in case of atenolol which leads to relaxation.

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