Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: FairOpinion; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; El Gato; JudyB1938; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Robert A. Cook, PE; ...
When you enter an author's name in the correct format into PubMed, in this case it's Lindholm LH, you'll get a chronological listing of an author's professional articles starting from the latest back to the earliest.

The article that I linked in comment# 5 of this thread was the last that Lindholm had printed in Lancet according to an author search on PubMed.

It failed to find the latest Lancet article found by searching directly at Lancet. Here is its abstract:

The Lancet Early Online Publication, 18 October 2005

DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67573-3

Should β blockers remain first choice in the treatment of primary hypertension? A meta-analysis

Lars Hjalmar Lindholm a , Bo Carlberg a and Ola Samuelsson b

Summary

Background

Beta-blockers have been used widely in the treatment of hypertension and are recommended as first-line drugs in hypertension guidelines. However, a preliminary analysis has shown that atenolol is not very effective in hypertension. We aim to substantially enlarge the data on atenolol and analyse the effect of different β blockers.

Methods

The Cochrane Library and PubMed were searched for β blocker treatment in patients with primary hypertension. Data were then entered into the Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager package and were summarised in meta-analyses. 13 randomised controlled trials (n=105,951) were included in a meta-analysis comparing treatment with β blockers with other antihypertensive drugs. Seven studies (n=27,433) were included in a comparison of β blockers and placebo or no treatment.

Findings

The relative risk of stroke was 16% higher for β blockers (95% CI 4 - 30%) than for other drugs. There was no difference for myocardial infarction. When the effect of β blockers was compared with that of placebo or no treatment, the relative risk of stroke was reduced by 19% for all β blockers (CI 7 – 29%), about half that expected from previous hypertension trials. There was no difference for myocardial infarction or mortality.

Interpretation

In comparison with other antihypertensive drugs, the effect of β blockers is less than optimum, with a raised risk of stroke. Hence, we believe that β blockers should not remain first choice in the treatment of primary hypertension and should not be used as reference drugs in future randomised controlled trials of hypertension.

Affiliations

a Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University Hospital, Umea, Sweden b Department of Nephrology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden

Correspondence to: Prof Lars H Lindholm, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University Hospital, SE 901 85 Umea, Sweden

Here's the URL:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673605675733/abstract?iseop=true

You'll have to register, not subscribe, before you can access the abstract.

Check with your doc before you make any changes. The article doesn't differentiate between the two main types of stroke.

28 posted on 10/27/2005 12:44:47 PM PDT by neverdem (May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: neverdem

Thanks - I've been on atenolol for 13 years.......yikes!


29 posted on 10/27/2005 12:54:55 PM PDT by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA (Prayers for healing and relief from pain for Cowboy...........)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies ]

To: neverdem

Thanks for the information (and the ping).


32 posted on 10/27/2005 1:49:51 PM PDT by GOPJ (NYT: How many times do you ask for an error to be corrected before the "error" becomes a "lie"?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson