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Should -Blockers Be Used to Treat Hypertension in Elderly Patients?

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To the Editor: Readers of the recent Contempo article on the treatment of hypertension¹ may be misled by the statement that the latest Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI) recommendations² no longer recommend -blockers for older people. In fact, the recommendations of the committee say the opposite: "Thiazide diuretics or -blockers in combination with thiazide diuretics are recommended because they are effective in reducing mortality and morbidity in older persons. . . "² The recommendations outline a possible advantage of diuretics over -blockers but do not remove -blockers from their recommendations. Especially in light of recent recommendations regarding the expanded use of -blockers in the treatment of heart failure and the emphasis on use following myocardial infarction, this class of drugs remains a viable option for the treatment of hypertension in older people.

Allen F. Shaughnessy, PharmD, BCPS
Harrisburg Family Practice . . . [Full Text of this Article]