Beta-Blockers Well Tolerated by Heart Failure Patients

"Despite concerns about side effects of beta-blockers, a recent overview of randomized trials has found that these drugs are generally well tolerated by patients with heart failure. In the July 12th issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, a multicenter team led by Dr. Dennis T. Ko of the University of Toronto in Canada reports on its analysis of trials conducted between 1966 and 2002 in which patients with heart failure were randomized to treatment with beta-blockers or placebo. Using a random-effects model, the researchers combined the results of 9 individual trials involving almost 15,000 patients. The team found that beta-blocker therapy was indeed associated with significant absolute annual increases in risks of hypotension, dizziness, and bradycardia. They also found, however, that beta-blocker therapy was associated with reductions in all-cause withdrawal of medication, all-cause mortality, heart-failure associated hospitalizations, and worsening heart failure."