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Published on: December 18, 2014
Beta-blocker side-effects in clinical practice: A nationwide approach
Peter Vibe Rasmussen1, Jarl Emanuel Strange2, Sebastian Kinnberg Nielsen3
1Copenhagen Heart Centre, University Hospital Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Denmark; Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Beta-blockers (BBs) show a clinically relevant incidence of side-effects, with anxiety/insomnia and gastrointestinal issues being most common. These risks are increased compared to calcium-channel blockers (CCBs), except for erectile dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
Background:
- Conflicting data exists on beta-blocker (BB) side-effect incidence.
- Real-world data on BB side-effects is sparse.
- Investigating BB side-effects in clinical practice is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the absolute and relative risks of BB side-effects.
- To compare BB side-effects with calcium-channel blocker (CCB) treatment.
- To provide real-world data on BB adverse events.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Danish nationwide registers for patient data.
- Included hypertensive patients initiating BB or CCB treatment.
- Calculated standardized one-year risks and risk ratios for BB side-effects.
Main Results:
- Analyzed 64,722 patients on BBs and 181,880 on CCBs.
- Standardized one-year risk of any BB side-effect (excluding ED) was 13.7%.
- Increased risk ratios for depression, anxiety/insomnia, GI side-effects, and dizziness/fainting with BBs compared to CCBs.
Conclusions:
- Clinically relevant incidence of BB side-effects observed in a large nationwide cohort.
- BB treatment consistently showed increased risks for most studied side-effects versus CCBs.
- Erectile dysfunction risk was similar between BB and CCB treatments.
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