| Summary: | Beta blockers inhibit the chronotropic, inotropic, and vasoconstrictor responses to the catecholamines, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Beta blockers differ in their duration of effect (3 hours to 22 hours), the types of beta receptors they block (ø1-selective or ø1/ø2-nonselective), whether they are simultaneously capable of exerting low level heart rate increases (intrinsic sympathomimetic activity [ISA]), and in whether they provide additional blood vessel dilation effects by also blocking alpha-1 receptors. All beta blockers are approved for the treatment of hypertension. Other US Food and Drug Administration-approved uses are specific to each beta blocker and include stable and unstable angina, atrial arrhythmias, bleeding esophageal varices, coronary artery disease, asymptomatic and symptomatic heart failure, migraine, and secondary prevention of post-myocardial infarction. The objective of this review was to evaluate the comparative effectiveness and harms of beta blockers in adult patients with hypertension, angina, coronary artery bypass graft, recent myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial arrhythmia, migraine or bleeding esophageal varices
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