Research discovers response to beta-blocker therapy genetically pre-determined - must read if you are on beta-blocker therapy

Beta-Blockers (like Atenolol) are used for heart failure treatment. Beta-blockers are also often prescribed for diabetic and renal (kidney) transplant recepients as adjunct anti-hypertensive (blood pressure) medications.

Beta-blockers help restore the heart to a more typical shape and size and improve heart function.
Some patients tolerate them well while others have difficulty and suffer adverse reactions such as shortness of breath, ankle swelling (edema) or fluid retention in the lungs, fatigue and reduced ability to tolerate exercise or even worsening of their heart failure symptoms.

Scientists at University of Florida discovered that beta-blockers are not suitable for certain group of patients, which can be determined by a particular gene variations. For this group beta-blocker therapy actually worsens the heart enlargement problem.

“At the moment, the consensus guidelines for treatment of heart failure are that basically everyone should get this drug,” said Dr. Julie Johnson, Pharm.D., director of the UF Center for Pharmacogenomics and principal investigator in this research. “I’m certainly not sitting here saying we should change those consensus guidelines, which come about because of large clinical trials and because of benefits that are shown in large clinical trials. But we know that, at an individual level, not everybody benefits from any given therapy.”

The researchers noted that genetic variations influenced the degree to which the heart returned to a more normal shape and size after a patient began taking the drug. In fact, patients in one subgroup out of four studied actually fared worse - the heart continued to enlarge.

Patients with either of two variants were three times more likely to require increases in heart failure medications to treat worsening symptoms after they began taking beta-blockers and required more frequent follow-up.

Source: HSC News and Communications

This is very interesting. I am not sure if it is an error in reporting. However given at its face value it means patient condition (in general) worsens after taking beta-blockers.

To summarize:
1. Not everyone benefits from beta-blocker therapy, pre-determined by their genetic makeup
2. In 25% of cases beta-blcoker therapy actually worsens the heart failure problem

The bottomline of this story is that if you are on beta-blockers and facing complications or the doctor has prescribed beta-blocker, then you might want to discuss with him this research.