Cor Vasa 2014, 56(1):e37-e41 | DOI: 10.1016/j.crvasa.2014.01.001

Reaching betablockers target dose in elderly patients with chronic heart failure

Filip Málek

Ambulance srdečního selhání a hypertenze, Kardiovaskulární centrum, Nemocnice Na Homolce, Praha, Česká republika

Despite overwhelming evidence of clinical efficacy, the use and dose of betablockers in elderly patients with chronic heart failure is often suboptimal. The underuse and underdose of betablockers in elderly may reflect true intolerability in older patients with commorbidities and with increased risk of side effects. Different betablockers may have different side effects because of different pharmacological properties. Difference between betablockers use in the clinical practice and clinical trials might be explained by the fact that the major large-scale betablockers trials enrolled younger patients. The highest tolerability in elderly heart failure patients was reported for nebivolol. The tolerability of nebivolol in older patients might be explained by its unique pharmacological properties.

Keywords: Betablockers; Chronic heart failure; Elderly patients; Nebivolol; Tolerability

Received: December 9, 2013; Revised: January 10, 2014; Accepted: January 13, 2014; Published: February 1, 2014  Show citation