Role of Beta-blockers in Cardiovascular Disease in 2019
Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed). 2019 Oct;72(10):844-852.
doi: 10.1016/j.rec.2019.04.014.
Epub 2019 Aug 8.
[Article in
English,
Spanish]
Affiliations
- 1 Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain; Servicio de Cardiología, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de la Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD), Madrid, Spain.
- 2 Servicio Cardiología, Hospital Universitario Álvaro Cunqueiro, Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain.
- 3 Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain; Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB-Arrixaca), Universidad de Murcia, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain.
- 4 Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain; Servicio de Cardiología, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de la Fundación Jiménez Díaz (IIS-FJD), Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: bibanez@cnic.es.
Abstract
Beta-blockers are the cornerstone of treatment for various cardiovascular conditions. Although their effects have classically been considered to be driven by their antagonistic and competitive action on beta-adrenergic receptors, nowadays it is known that their effect goes beyond that of mere competition with catecholamines on these receptors. Beta-blockers were discovered as antianginal drugs in the 1960s and are currently widely used in heart failure, arrhythmias, and ischemic heart disease. In this article, we review the evidence for the beneficial effects of beta-blockers in these conditions, as well as the current recommendations in clinical practice guidelines for their use. Surprisingly, despite having been prescribed for more than 4 decades, new, previously unnoticed mechanisms of action on cellular compartments are still being discovered, which continues to open up new horizons for their use. All in all, beta-blockers are one of the most fascinating drug groups in our therapeutic armamentarium.
Keywords:
Acute myocardial infarction; Beta-blockers; Bloqueadores beta; Heart failure; Infarto agudo de miocardio; Insuficiencia cardiaca.
Copyright © 2019 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
MeSH terms
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Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / therapeutic use*
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Cardiovascular Diseases / drug therapy*
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Humans
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Treatment Outcome
Substances
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Adrenergic beta-Antagonists