Why should beta blockers, prominent in treating hypertension over recent decades, be no longer favored for this condition?
Beta blockers had a foundational role in the combined drug treatment of hypertension. They were used in combination with a diuretic for an active treatment arm in Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP),16 and in other trials which showed a reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with combination therapy. However, in recent years their status in the treatment of ISH has become less assured.44–46 Findings from two major studies (LIFE47 and ASCOT-BPLA)44 indicated that beta blockers have less efficacy than other antihypertensive agents in preventing stroke. It has been suggested that beta blockers should be no longer used in the primary treatment of hypertension,48 especially not in the elderly.49 Also, in contradistinction to other key groups of antihypertensive agents, beta blockers do not decrease the arterial wave reflection often prominent in elderly hypertensive subjects,50,51 and do not rectify arterial stiffness. The Conduit Artery Function Evaluation study examined the chronic effects of atenolol ± thiazide therapy versus amlodipine ± perindopril therapy on central aortic blood pressures and hemodynamics.50 Despite similar reductions in brachial blood pressure with the two treatment arms, the central aortic pulse pressure was significantly less with amlodipine ± perindopril, as was augmentation index (an indicator of arterial wave reflection). Also, central pulse pressure and pulse wave reflection were found to be significantly associated with a composite of cardiovascular and renal morbid events. Thus, agents which decrease wave reflection, such as amlodipine and perindopril, may not only lower central pressure more than agents that do not, such as the beta blockers, but also may be associated with a better clinical outcome. However, these negative findings about beta blockers do not contraindicate their use for secondary prevention in hypertensive subjects with a history of heart attack.