Real-World Effectiveness of Beta-Blockers versus Other Antihypertensives in Reducing All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Events.

Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of beta-blockers with other antihypertensive classes in reducing all-cause mortality, cardiovascular-related mortality and the risk of cerebrocardiovascular events. Methods: This noninterventional study was conducted within the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Hypertensive patients who initiated antihypertensive monotherapy were allocated to one of five cohorts: beta-blockers; angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi); angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB); calcium channel blockers (CCB); and diuretics. Differences in outcomes were assessed using Cox proportional hazard models with competing risks. Results: A total of 44,404 patients were prescribed beta-blockers (75% atenolol), 132,545 ACEi, 12,018 ARB, 91,731 CCB, and 106,547 diuretics. At baseline, patients in the beta-blocker cohort presented more frequently with angina, arrhythmia, and atrial fibrillation. The risk of all-cause mortality was lower for those treated with ACEi, ARB, and CCB, and no difference was observed compared with diuretics (adjusted hazard ratio versus beta-blockers (98.75% CI), for ACEi 0.71 (0.61, 0.83), ARB 0.67 (0.51, 0.88), CCB 0.76 (0.66, 0.88), diuretics 1.06 (0.93, 1.22)). No differences were seen in the risk of cardiovascular mortality for patients treated with beta-blockers, ARB, CCB, and diuretics, while a lower risk in patients treated with ACEi was observed (ACEi 0.63 (0.43, 0.91), ARB 0.64 (0.32, 1.28), CCB 0.71 (0.49, 1.03), diuretics 0.97 (0.69, 1.37)). Conclusions: These data add to the limited pool of evidence from real-world studies exploring the effectiveness of beta-blockers versus other antihypertensive classes. Discrepancies to previously published studies might be partly explained by differences in the selected populations and in the follow-up time.

Effectiveness of bisoprolol versus other ß-blockers and other antihypertensive classes: a cohort study in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

Aim: To compare blood pressure (BP) and safety outcomes in patients with hypertension initiating bisoprolol, versus other ß-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers or diuretics. Materials & methods: New user cohort study. Patients initiating bisoprolol were matched with up to four patients, in each comparator cohort using propensity score. BP outcomes were compared using linear mixed models and safety outcomes using Cox proportional hazards. Results: Differences in average systolic and diastolic BP variation were ≤3 mmHg between bisoprolol versus the compared classes. No difference was observed in risk of diabetes, obesity or erectile dysfunction. An increased dyslipidemia risk was only observed versus diuretics (hazard ratio: 0.76; 98.75% CI: 0.58, 0.99). Conclusion: No differences in BP variation and safety outcomes.

Pharmacological intervention in hypertension using beta-blockers: Real-world evidence for long-term effectiveness.

The study objective was to compare the long-term incidence and risk of mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with hypertension initiating bisoprolol, other ß-blockers or other antihypertensive therapies. Cohort analysis using UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Adult patients with first diagnosis of hypertension recorded between 2000 and 2014, with ≥365 days of registration to first event and initiating monotherapies of bisoprolol, other ß-blockers or drugs other than ß-blockers within 6 months of diagnosis were included. Incidence rates (IR) for each treatment cohort were compared using adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) obtained from Cox regression analyses. Of 100,066 patients included, 539 were prescribed bisoprolol, 3701 other ß-blockers, and 95,826 drugs other than ß-blockers. Patients receiving bisoprolol had significantly increased survival from 2 up to <15 years (HR for <15 years 0.34; 95% CI 0.18-0.67) versus other ß-blockers, and from 5 to <15 years (HR for <15 years 0.52; 95% CI 0.27-1.00) versus drugs other than ß-blockers. Over time, the risk of arrhythmia was higher in the bisoprolol cohort versus other ß-blockers, and risks of arrhythmia and angina were higher versus drugs other than ß-blockers. No differences in the risk of embolism, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) were found between cohorts. Over time, mortality and cardiovascular outcome IRs decreased in each cohort. In conclusion, bisoprolol showed sustained benefit on survival, evident from 2 years after treatment initiation versus other ß-blockers, and from 5 years versus drugs other than ß-blockers, providing long-term evidence supporting the use of bisoprolol in patients with hypertension in primary care.