RSS Feeds
Fresh Air and β-Blockade
- Paul E. Epstein, MD, Deputy Editor
In this issue, Salpeter and colleagues (1) present an important meta-analysis on the effects of cardioselective β-blockers in patients with reactive airway disease, a subject they have previously reviewed for the Cochrane Library (2). Their elegant analysis has helped put to rest a question that is both clinically important and controversial: Can cardioselective β-blockers be used safely in patients with recognized obstructive lung disease? The main focus in this meta-analysis is on patients with asthma. The question is clinically important because about 5% of the population of the United States is asthmatic and a substantial number of these patients also have a disease that can be treated effectively with β-blockers. It is controversial because many clinical guidelines still recommend that no type of β-blocker be used in patients with obstructive lung disease for fear that it might precipitate severe bronchospasm.
There is no doubt that β-blockers have had a major beneficial impact on the management of several common diseases, including acute coronary syndromes, acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, and hypertension. For instance, death rates following acute myocardial …
