Trends for beta-blockers use in a large cohort of Polish hypertensive patients — Pol-Fokus Study

Abstract

Background Beta-blockers remain one of the most frequently prescribed antihypertensive drug classes. The aim of the analysis was to evaluate characteristics of patients treated with beta-blockers and factors associated with the treatment of beta-blockers.

Material and methods We analysed the data from the large cross-sectional study evaluating 12,375 patients treated for hypertension for at least one year.

Results Overall, 7080 patients (57.2% of the whole group) were treated with beta-blockers. The rate of use of beta-blockers was higher in patients with diabetes (62.9 vs 55.6%), coronary artery disease (72.2 vs 46.4%), previous myocardial infarction (82.3 vs 54.1%), heart failure (73.1 vs 53.3%) and arrhythmias (73.1 vs 51.1%) than in patients without those conditions (all comparisons p < 0.001). Beta-blockers were used less frequently among patients with asthma/COPD than without asthma/COPD (54.0 vs 58.0%; p = 0.017). In patients aged 40 years and less, the compelling indications for these agents were found only in 21.7% of patients. In patients aged 40–65 years, none of compelling indications was found in 41.3% of patients. In patients 65 years or more, the most frequent compelling indications were coronary artery disease, previous myocardial infarction and heart failure, which were present in 70.1% of patients.

Conclusions High utilization rate of beta-blockers in patients with hypertension, only second to renin-angiotensin blockers, has been shown. In middle age and, especially, in older patients it might reflect high cardiovascular burden of those patients, including coexistence of established cardiac disease. In younger patients beta-blockers are used more frequently with none of the compelling indications present.