A new study from the University of Bologna has raised concerns about a common blood pressure medication called beta-blockers.
The research suggests that women with high blood pressure who take beta-blockers may have a higher risk of developing heart failure compared to men.
The study, published in the journal Hypertension, focused on people with high blood pressure who had never been diagnosed with heart disease.
Researchers found that women taking beta-blockers were nearly 5% more likely to develop heart failure than men, especially after experiencing serious heart conditions known as acute coronary syndromes. These conditions happen when blood flow to the heart suddenly drops, which can lead to heart attacks.
Beta-blockers are often prescribed to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. However, this study suggests that these medications may affect men and women differently.
To explore this, researchers analyzed health data from 13,764 adults across 12 European countries. All participants had high blood pressure but no history of heart disease. The study compared those taking beta-blockers with those who were not and looked at how they responded after experiencing a heart-related event.
The results were concerning:
- Women taking beta-blockers had a 4.6% higher chance of being hospitalized for heart failure compared to men when they experienced acute coronary syndrome.
- People who developed heart failure had a seven times higher risk of dying compared to those who had a heart attack without heart failure.
- Women who suffered from a severe heart attack, known as STEMI, were 6.1% more likely to develop heart failure than men with the same condition.
- Interestingly, men and women who did not take beta-blockers had similar rates of heart failure.
These findings suggest that beta-blockers may have a stronger negative impact on women’s heart health than on men’s. This could be due to differences in how men and women respond to medication, but more research is needed to fully understand why.
The study highlights the importance of managing blood pressure through healthy lifestyle choices like diet and exercise, especially for women without previous heart disease. It also raises questions about how beta-blockers might interact with hormone replacement therapy, though this was not the main focus of the research.
Doctors may need to consider a more personalized approach to treating high blood pressure, especially for women. More studies are needed to confirm these findings and ensure that blood pressure treatments are both safe and effective for everyone.
For now, women who take beta-blockers and have high blood pressure should discuss these findings with their doctors to understand the best way to manage their heart health.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing plant-based foods could benefit people with high blood pressure.
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