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 .
STOP-Hypertension--preliminary communication from the pilot study of the Swedish Trial in Old Patients with Hypertension.
The Swedish trial in old patients with hypertension ( STOP-Hypertension ) is a multicentre , r and omized , double-blind study of beta-blockers/diuretics versus placebo in old hypertensives . Primary end-points are stroke and myocardial infa rct ion ( fatal and non-fatal ) as well as other cardiovascular mortality . To evaluate the logistics of STOP-Hypertension , a pilot study was carried out . All patients aged 70 - 84 years in 31 centres were consecutively registered in a log-book . Altogether 4668 patients were screened : 41.5 % had previously been treated for hypertension and 13.5 % had blood pressures greater than or equal to 180/105 mmHg . Thus , 55 % were ' hypertensive ' . In all , 465 patients ( 18 % of the ' hypertensive ' patients ) started a 3-month washout period ( previously treated , n = 396 ) or a 4-week run-in period ( previously untreated , n = 69 ) period . The most frequent reasons for not starting the run-in/washout were other indications for treatment with beta-blockers/diuretics ( 13 % ) , unwillingness to participate ( 8 % ) or isolated systolic hypertension ( 4 % ) . The pilot study was evaluated after 1 year : 89 patients ( 1.9 % ) had been r and omized , 66 patients ( 1.4 % ) were still in the run-in/washout period and the majority of the remaining patients were not r and omized because they had not reached the inclusion blood pressure ( greater than or equal to 180 mmHg systolic and /or greater than or equal to 105 mmHg diastolic ) following withdrawal of their antihypertensive medication . During the run-in/washout period there were few serious clinical events : one case of myocardial infa rct ion , three patients had strokes ( two fatal ) , 10 developed congestive heart failure , three tachyarrhythmia and two pneumonia ( one fatal ) . ( ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS
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 .