Beta blockers may be doing heart attack patients more harm than good, according to new research. The pills, which reduce blood pressure, don't improve survival chances for those who have suffered heart failure, suggest the findings.
Experts called for large randomised clinical trials to see whether they should continue to be taken. Corresponding author Dr Gorav Batra, of Uppsala University, Sweden, said: "In this large nationwide cohort study, long-term beta blocker therapy beyond the first year of heart attack was not associated with lower risk of cardiovascular outcomes in patients without heart failure."
Beta blockers were one of the most commonly prescribed blood-pressure drugs in past decades. But they fell out of favour as newer tablets which appeared to be better at reducing blood pressure became available.
