HEART pills given to thousands of Brits every year may actually put women at greater risk of dying, scientists warn.
Beta blockers, prescribed to around 50,000 Brits a year, are routinely handed to heart attack survivors to ease strain on the heart and cut the risk of deadly rhythm problems.
But the results from a Spanish trial suggest the medication is ineffective and does not help reduce the risk of death or further heart attacks.
Women treated with the drug were nearly three times more likely to die compared to those who did not take it, researchers found.
They were also more likely to suffer another heart attack or end up back in hospital with heart failure.
Dr Valentin Fuster, general director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Investigation in Madrid, said: “These findings will reshape all international clinical guidelines on the use of beta-blockers in men and women and should spark a long-needed, sex-specific approach to treatment for cardiovascular disease.
“We found no benefit in using beta-blockers for men or women with preserved heart function after heart attack despite this being the standard of care for some 40 years.”
Previous studies into the beat blockers have found they can trigger fatigue, nausea and even sexual dysfunction.
For the new study, published in the European Heart Journal , scientists tracked 8,505 patients in 109 hospitals who had survived a heart attack but whose heart function was still good.
Half were put on beta blockers, half were not.
After four years, there was no overall benefit in preventing deaths or hospitalisations.
However, when assessing women’s results specifically, they found women who were treated with beta-blockers were significantly more likely to have another heart attack or be hospitalised for heart failure.
They also had a 2.7 per cent higher risk of death compared to those not treated with beta-blockers.
Dr Borja Ibáñez, scientific director for Madrid’s National Center for Cardiovascular Investigation and study co-author, said: “After a heart attack, patients are typically prescribed multiple medications, which can make adherence difficult.
“Beta blockers were added to standard treatment early on because they significantly reduced mortality at the time.
“Their benefits were linked to reduced cardiac oxygen demand and arrhythmia prevention. But therapies have evolved.
“Today, occluded coronary arteries are reopened rapidly and systematically, drastically lowering the risk of serious complications such as arrhythmias.
“In this new context, where the extent of heart damage is smaller, the need for beta blockers is unclear.
“While we often test new drugs, it’s much less common to rigorously question the continued need for older treatments.”
Patients should not stop taking medication without speaking to their doctor first.
What are beta blockers?
Many people in the UK take a beta blocker medicine. Each year there are more than 50 million prescriptions for beta blockers in the UK.
They’re most commonly used for heart and circulatory conditions.
They’re prescribed to treat irregular heart rhythms, angina and to help lower blood pressure.
People living with heart valve disease, heart failure or who have had a heart attack may be prescribed a beta blocker too.
Doctors also sometimes prescribe beta blockers for non-heart conditions such as anxiety.
They work by slowing down the heart rate, which reduces the force at which blood is pumped around your body.
They do this by blocking the effects of the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline which can make the heart work harder and faster.
As well as relaxing the heart, some beta blockers relax blood vessels too, which helps to lower blood pressure.
Beta blockers can also block your kidneys from producing a hormone called angiotensin II, which can help to lower blood pressure.
A normal heart rate and blood pressure are:
- Heart rate – between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm) when resting
- Blood pressure – between 90/60 mmHg and 120/80 mmHg for adults. But for the over-80s it’s higher at 150/90 mmHg (or 145/85 mmHg at home) because arteries get stiffer as we get older
Source: British Heart Foundation