[Peripheral vascular complications of beta-blocking agents]

Beta-blocking agents may induce vascular syndromes related to environmental temperature, accentuation of arterial diseases, gangrene of the extremities. Incidence and severity are variable with beta-blocking agent's properties: cardioselectivity, intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, cardiac depression, and with the patient's disease. The risk of complication is greater with hypertension disease because of the reduction of arterial compliance and quantitative and qualitative alterations of adrenergic receptors.