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Beta blocker prescribing differences in patients with and without diabetes following a first myocardial infarction
Aims:
To document the prescribed usage of beta blockers in patients with and without diabetes mellitus discharged from hospital following a first myocardial infarction.
Methods:
All patients with diabetes and a group of patients matched for age and sex without diabetes, admitted with a documented first myocardial infarction during the period 1995-1999 at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK were audited.
Results:
Data were available on 201 patients with diabetes and 199 patients without diabetes. No significant differences existed between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups for age and sex. Twenty-three per cent of patients with diabetes were prescribed a beta blocker compared to 52% of non-diabetic patients (P < 0.01). Patients with diabetes had a higher frequency of perceived contraindications than patients without diabetes (36 vs. 27%, P < 0.001). Thirty-five per cent of patients with diabetes and 18% of non-diabetic patients had no contraindication to the use of beta blocker but were not prescribed one (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Although beta blockers can provide useful benefits in patients with diabetes following a myocardial infarction, this study suggests that a significant proportion of patients with diabetes and without a contraindication to treatment are still not receiving beta blockers after myocardial infarction.