Beta Blocker News and Research

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Beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agents (beta-blockers) are drugs with multiple actions on the heart. Blockade of beta-1 receptors results in slowing of heart rate, reduction in myocardial contractility, and lowering of systemic blood pressure. In the context of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which represents a state of reduced oxygen supply to the affected portion of the heart, these effects may be beneficial as they result in reduced myocardial workload and oxygen demand. Furthermore, beta-blockers may reduce the risk of ventricular arrhythmias, which are an important cause of death following AMI.

Cancer patients who take beta-blocker along with breast cancer drug have less heart damage

Breast cancer patients who take a heart drug at the same time as trastuzumab have less heart damage, according to a study presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2018.

5 Dec 2018

Blood pressure lowering therapy and statins continue to improve survival in patients with hypertension

Blood pressure and cholesterol lowering drugs continue to improve survival in patients with hypertension after more than a decade, according to late breaking results from the ASCOT Legacy study presented at ESC Congress 2018 and published in The Lancet.

28 Aug 2018

Blood pressure medication slows enlargement of the aorta in patients with Marfan syndrome

Treatment with a drug to lower blood pressure slows enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta in children and young adults with Marfan syndrome, according to late breaking results from the AIMS trial presented today in a Hot Line Session at ESC Congress 2018.

28 Aug 2018

Study: VA hospitals provide better quality care than other health providers

The VA health care system performs similar to or better than non-VA systems on most measures of inpatient and outpatient care quality, although there is high variation in quality across individual VA facilities, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

26 Apr 2018

Researchers suggest alternative therapy for heart attack patients with beta blocker intolerance

Beta blockers have become a prescription drug staple for recovering heart attack patients. However, these blood pressure-reducing medications cannot be tolerated by many patients who are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease, including those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, the elderly, and diabetics.

10 Apr 2018

Perioperative beta blockers could increase deaths and strokes one year after surgery

During the 12 months after undergoing noncardiac surgery, patients with or at risk for heart disease who were treated with the beta blocker metoprolol for 30 days were less likely than patients who received a placebo to have a heart attack, but more likely to die or have a stroke, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.

13 Mar 2018

Stress accelerates development of pancreatic cancer, study shows

A new study shows that stress accelerates the development of pancreatic cancer by triggering the release of "fight-or-flight" hormones. Beta-blockers--commonly used medications that inhibit these hormones--were found to increase survival in a mouse model of the disease.

10 Jan 2018

Beta blockers may improve survival for melanoma patients

A common, inexpensive drug that is used to prevent heart attacks and lower blood pressure may also help melanoma patients live longer, according to researchers.

8 Jan 2018

Recommendations to prevent heart failure hospitalizations

Heart failure (HF) affects approximately 5.7 million adults in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If not properly managed, HF can lead to frequent hospitalizations.

10 Nov 2017

Elevated levels of chronic stress hormones may promote EGFR inhibitor resistance in NSCLC patients

Elevated levels of chronic stress hormones, such as those produced by psychological distress, may promote resistance to drugs commonly used to treat lung cancer patients with EGFR mutations, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

9 Nov 2017

Case report of a 21 year old woman sweating blood

She had a rare condition called hematohidrosis where she was sweating blood and her tears too contained blood. The dermatologists published the report of her rare case while protecting her identity, this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

24 Oct 2017

Beta blockers offer no additional benefit for heart attack patients who take other drugs

A new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill finds beta blockers are not needed after a heart attack if heart-attack survivors are taking ACE inhibitors and statins.

19 Sep 2017

Beta blockers capable of reducing stress signaling may enhance effectiveness of immunotherapy

While the development of therapies designed to block "checkpoints" within the immune system has been one of the most exciting and noteworthy advances in cancer research in recent years, it's also been one of the most puzzling, leaving researchers to ask: Why don't these new therapies work for more patients, and why is their efficacy in controlling cancerous tumors often short-lived? A research team from Roswell Park Cancer Institute has shown that at least one answer -; and an excellent opportunity for unleashing the full potential of these promising immunotherapies -; may lie in the body's "fight or flight" reaction to stressors and in drugs already widely used to control and temporarily disable this stress response.

31 Aug 2017

Specific drug regimen taken prior to surgery reduces risk of cancer recurrence, study finds

Most cancer-related deaths are the result of post-surgical metastatic recurrence. In metastasis, cells of primary tumors travel to other parts of the body, where they often proliferate into inoperable, ultimately fatal growths.

7 Aug 2017

Researchers uncover novel mechanism of beta-blockers in preventing progression of heart failure

Beta-blocker drugs serve a key role in the treatment of heart failure, preventing bombardment of the heart by catecholamines - substances like epinephrine and norepinephrine - which overexcite and stress the heart.

4 Jul 2017

Beta blockers reverse potentially detrimental genetic changes linked to heart disease

Beta blockers are commonly used world-wide to treat a variety of cardiovascular conditions, such as arrhythmias and heart failure.

30 Jun 2017

Use of cardiovascular medications linked to fall risk in older adults

A new analysis suggests that among older adults who take cardiovascular medications, those using non-selective beta-blockers may be at an increased of falling compared with those using selective beta-blockers.

7 Jun 2017

Energy drinks linked to risk of cardiac events in young people with familial long QT syndrome

Caffeinated energy drinks can trigger serious cardiac events including cardiac arrest in individuals not known to have a specific heart disease of genetic origin.

8 May 2017

Researchers discover cancer-fighting properties in beta blockers

A new study finds that carvedilol, a drug typically used to treat high blood pressure, can protect against the sun-induced cell damage that leads to skin cancer. Researchers serendipitously discovered the beta blocker's cancer-fighting properties after making an error in the lab.

24 Apr 2017

Study shows how early administration of old drug reduces damage during heart attack

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) have discovered a new mechanism of action of metoprolol, a drug that can reduce the damage produced during a heart attack if administered early.

18 Apr 2017