January 25, 2010 — Hypertensive patients receiving long-term monotherapy with ACE inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), or beta blockers were less likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AF) than those who received only calcium-channel blockers (CCBs), a new study has found [1]. Dr Beat A Schaer (University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland) and colleagues report their study in the January 18, 2010 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
"The most likely explanation for this finding is that ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and beta blockers reduce the risk of AF rather than that CCBs increase the risk," senior author of the paper, Dr Christoph R Meier (University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland), told heartwire .
But Meier says the "practical implications" of these findings are few, because "we studied a sample, a subset of patients on monotherapy, and therefore one cannot generalize to a more complicated hypertensive population." Nevertheless, he says, "If a patient is believed to be at risk for AF, this may be good to know for the doctor, that certain drugs might have a beneficial effect [on AF]. It could be yet another criterion to look at when selecting an antihypertensive drug, just one more piece of the puzzle."
"The most likely explanation for this finding is that ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and beta blockers reduce the risk of AF rather than that CCBs increase the risk," senior author of the paper, Dr Christoph R Meier (University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland), told heartwire .
But Meier says the "practical implications" of these findings are few, because "we studied a sample, a subset of patients on monotherapy, and therefore one cannot generalize to a more complicated hypertensive population." Nevertheless, he says, "If a patient is believed to be at risk for AF, this may be good to know for the doctor, that certain drugs might have a beneficial effect [on AF]. It could be yet another criterion to look at when selecting an antihypertensive drug, just one more piece of the puzzle."
Clinical Implications
All-cause congestive heart failure, mitral regurgitation, and hypertension have been identified as major predisposing factors for AF.
In patients with hypertension, long-term receipt of ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or beta-blockers reduces the risk for AF vs receipt of CCBs.
All-cause congestive heart failure, mitral regurgitation, and hypertension have been identified as major predisposing factors for AF.
In patients with hypertension, long-term receipt of ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or beta-blockers reduces the risk for AF vs receipt of CCBs.
Para el artìculo completo: http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/715742
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