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 .
First-line antihypertensive treatment in patients with pre-diabetes: Rationale, design and baseline results of the ADaPT investigation
Background Recent clinical trials reported conflicting results on the reduction of new-onset diabetes using RAS blocking agents . Therefore the role of these agents in preventing diabetes is still not well defined . Ramipril is an ACE inhibitor ( ACEi ) , that has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in high risk patients and post-hoc analyses of the HOPE trial have provided evidence for its beneficial action in the prevention of diabetes . Methods The ADaPT investigation ( " ACE inhibitor-based versus diuretic-based antihypertensive primary treatment in patients with pre-diabetes " ) is a 4-year open , prospect i ve , parallel group phase IV study . It compares an antihypertensive treatment regimen based on ramipril versus a treatment based on diuretics or betablockers . The primary evaluation criterion is the first manifestation of type 2 diabetes . The study is conducted in primary care to allow the broadest possible application of its results . The present article provides an outline of the rationale , the design and baseline characteristics of AdaPT and compares these to previous studies including ASCOT-BLPA , VALUE and DREAM . Results Until March 2006 a total of 2,015 patients in 150 general practice s ( general physicians and internists ) throughout Germany were enrolled . The average age of patients enrolled was 67.1 ± 10.3 years , with 47 % being male and a BMI of 29.9 ± 5.0 kg/m2 . Dyslipidemia was present in 56.5 % . 37.8 % reported a family history of diabetes  , 57.8 % were previously diagnosed with hypertension  ( usually long st and ing ) . The HbA1c value at baseline was 5.6 % . Compared to the DREAM study patients were older , had more frequently hypertension and patients with cardiovascular disease were not excluded . Conclusion Comparing the ADaPT design and baseline data to previous r and omized controlled trial it can be acknowledged that AdaPT included patients with a high risk for diabetes development . Results are expected to be available in 2010 . Data will be highly valuable for clinical practice due to the observational study design
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 .