Atenolol  was the beta‐blocker most used .
Current evidence suggests that initiating treatment of hypertension with beta‐blockers leads to modest CVD reductions and little or no effects on mortality .
These beta‐blocker effects are inferior to those of other antihypertensive drugs .
Abstract Background Beta‐blockers refer to a mixed group of drugs with diverse pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties .
They have shown long‐term beneficial effects on mortality and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) when used in people with heart failure or acute myocardial infa rct ion .
Beta‐blockers were thought to have similar beneficial effects when used as first‐line therapy for hypertension .
However , the benefit of beta‐blockers as first‐line therapy for hypertension without compelling indications is controversial .
This review is an up date of a Cochrane Review initially published in 2007 and up date d in 2012 .
Objectives To assess the effects of beta‐blockers on morbidity and mortality endpoints in adults with hypertension .
Blood pressure response under chronic antihypertensive drug therapy: the role of aortic stiffness in the REASON (Preterax in Regression of Arterial Stiffness in a Controlled Double-Blind) study.
OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the role of arterial stiffness on  blood pressure ( BP ) response to drug treatment . BACKGROUND Increased arterial stiffness ( pulse wave velocity [ PWV ] ) is associated with increased systolic blood pressure ( SBP ) . Antihypertensive drug therapy achieves better control of diastolic blood pressure ( DBP ) than SBP does , implying that increased PWV might be a predictor of the SBP response to treatment . METHODS The REASON ( Preterax in Regression of Arterial Stiffness in a Controlled Double-Blind ) study is a r and omized , double-blind trial comparing atenolol versus perindopril/indapamide ;  375 patients with hypertension , with BP and PWV measurements at baseline and after 12 months of treatment , were divided into 3 tertiles according to baseline PWV and included in a post-hoc analysis . RESULTS After 12 months of treatment , BP differed significantly between PWV tertiles ( the third having the lowest response , p < 0.05 ) . Factors related to smaller BP decline were low baseline BP , high baseline PWV , need for a double dose of treatment , use of atenolol ( only for SBP response ) , and age ( only for DBP ) . Although DBP control did not differ in the PWV tertiles , SBP control was significantly associated with PWV level ( p = 0.001 ) as well as with the use of perindopril/indapamide ( p < 0.001 ) . The predictive value of PWV on BP response was independent of age , sex , mean BP , and cardiovascular risk factors . CONCLUSIONS Baseline PWV is a significant predictor of BP response to antihypertensive treatment , independent from age , the need for increasing drug dosage , and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors . Achievement of SBP control appears to be influenced by aortic stiffness as well as by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition
Atenolol  was the beta‐blocker most used .
Current evidence suggests that initiating treatment of hypertension with beta‐blockers leads to modest CVD reductions and little or no effects on mortality .
These beta‐blocker effects are inferior to those of other antihypertensive drugs .
Abstract Background Beta‐blockers refer to a mixed group of drugs with diverse pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties .
They have shown long‐term beneficial effects on mortality and cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) when used in people with heart failure or acute myocardial infa rct ion .
Beta‐blockers were thought to have similar beneficial effects when used as first‐line therapy for hypertension .
However , the benefit of beta‐blockers as first‐line therapy for hypertension without compelling indications is controversial .
This review is an up date of a Cochrane Review initially published in 2007 and up date d in 2012 .
Objectives To assess the effects of beta‐blockers on morbidity and mortality endpoints in adults with hypertension .