Blood-Pressure Drugs May Increase Diabetes Risk
"This is an important study that adds to the body of knowledge, and I think the results are probably valid," Richey Sharrett tells WebMD. Sharrett, a senior scientific advisor in the epidemiology and biometry program at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Md., was not involved in the study.
Sharrett said he is concerned that reports of this study might alarm people who are taking beta-blockers. "Beta-blockers are very effective in preventing coronary artery disease," he says. He encourages people with a family history of diabetes to discuss with their physician the benefits and risks of taking this class of drugs, and to become informed about the symptoms of diabetes.
"There should be no immediate stopping of beta-blockers, because even though there is an increased likelihood [of diabetes], it certainly isn't 100%," says Norman M. Kaplan, MD, who is spokesman for the American Heart Association. Kaplan, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, reviewed the study for WebMD.
Kaplan says there are specific indications for beta-blockers, including chest pain or angina, certain types of rapid heartbeat, and heart attack. He recommends that people who are obese and/or have a family history of diabetes ask their physician if there is a good reason for them to take a beta-blocker.
If there is no particular reason, he says, "then another type of drug might be a better alternative."
Blood-Pressure Drugs May Increase Diabetes Risk
"This is an important study that adds to the body of knowledge, and I think the results are probably valid," Richey Sharrett tells WebMD. Sharrett, a senior scientific advisor in the epidemiology and biometry program at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Md., was not involved in the study.
Sharrett said he is concerned that reports of this study might alarm people who are taking beta-blockers. "Beta-blockers are very effective in preventing coronary artery disease," he says. He encourages people with a family history of diabetes to discuss with their physician the benefits and risks of taking this class of drugs, and to become informed about the symptoms of diabetes.
"There should be no immediate stopping of beta-blockers, because even though there is an increased likelihood [of diabetes], it certainly isn't 100%," says Norman M. Kaplan, MD, who is spokesman for the American Heart Association. Kaplan, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, reviewed the study for WebMD.
Kaplan says there are specific indications for beta-blockers, including chest pain or angina, certain types of rapid heartbeat, and heart attack. He recommends that people who are obese and/or have a family history of diabetes ask their physician if there is a good reason for them to take a beta-blocker.
If there is no particular reason, he says, "then another type of drug might be a better alternative."
Vital Information:
- Patients with high blood pressure who take beta-blockers appear to have a 28% increased risk of developing diabetes.
- This association was not seen with any other class of blood-pressure medication.
- Patients who are taking beta-blockers and are overweight or have a family history of diabetes should ask their doctors whether other medicines are just as effective.