Are beta blockers no longer the medicines of choice for the treatment of hypertension?
Intervention studies indicate that beta blockers as well as diuretics have unfavourable effects on lipid metabolism and lead to new onsets of diabetes mellitus more frequently than ACE inhibitors, AT1 antagonists and calcium antagonists. Moreover, a meta-analysis showed an elevated risk for strokes in hypertensive patients treated with beta blockers. Until the conclusion of other controlled studies, beta blockers will nevertheless retain their important role in the treatment of hypertensive patients with coronary heart disease or heart failure. They should continue to be one of the preferred antihypertensives.
