Reexamining Misconceptions About β-Blockers in Patients With Diabetes
IN BRIEF Because effectively managing patients with diabetes and hypertension requires multiple medications, the appropriate selection of a treatment regimen with good tolerability and simplified dosing is crucial. Despite the proven benefits of β-blockers in lowering blood pressure and improving cardiovascular morbidity, many physicians are reluctant to prescribe them to patients with diabetes and hypertension. This reluctance is based on the misconception that β-blockers worsen glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and dyslipidemia and mask hypoglycemia. Unlike traditional β-blockers, vasodilatory β-blockers have favorable tolerability and metabolic profiles while offering effective blood pressure control.
Footnotes
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Janet B. McGill, MD, is an associate professor of medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine and co-director of the Prevention and Control Core of the Diabetes Research and Training Center at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
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Note of disclosure: Dr. McGill's institution has received research funding and Dr. McGill has received honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline, which manufactures β-blockers for the treatment of hypertension.
- American Diabetes Association(R) Inc., 2009