Don’t β blockers still have a role in hypertension?

The advice on the firstline treatment of younger and middle aged hypertensive patients with either an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker, with no mention of β blockade, is worrying.1

Only one randomised study with hard end points has compared ACE inhibitors and β blockers.2 After 9-10 years of follow-up the trends in the reduction of all seven …