Comparison of Long-Term Clinical Implications of Beta-Blockade in Patients With Obstructive Airway Diseases Exposed to Beta-Blockers With Different β1-Adrenoreceptor Selectivity: An Italian Population-Based Cohort Study

Rationale: Long-term clinical implications of beta-blockade in obstructive airway diseases remains controversial. We investigated if within the first 5 years of treatment patients with heart failure and obstructive airway diseases using non β1-adrenoreceptor selective beta-blockers have an increased risk of being hospitalized for all-causes, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when compared to patient using selective beta-blockers.

Methods: Carvedilol users were propensity matched 1:1 for co-treatments, age, gender, and year of inclusion in the cohort with metoprolol/bisoprolol/nebivolol users. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to compare all causes, COPD, and heart failure hospitalization or the beta-blocker discontinuation between cohorts. For statistically significant associations, we computed the rate difference and the attributable risk.

Results: Overall, 11,844 patients out of the 51,214 (23.1%) were exposed to carvedilol and 39,370 (76.9%) to metoprolol/bisoprolol/nebivolol. Carvedilol users had a higher hazard for heart failure hospitalization (HR 1.29; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.18–1.40) with 106 (95%CI 76–134; p-value < 0.001) additional cases of heart failure hospitalization per 10000 person-years if compared to metoprolol/bisoprolol/nebivolol users. In all, 26.8% (95%CI 22.5–30.9%; p-value < 0.001) of heart failure hospitalizations in the study population could be attributed to being exposed to carvedilol. Carvedilol users had a higher hazard (HR 1.06; 95%CI 1.02–1.10) of discontinuing the pharmacological treatment with 131 (95%CI 62–201; p-value < 0.001) additional cases of beta-blocker discontinuation per 10000 person-years metoprolol/bisoprolol/nebivolol users. In all, 6.5% (95%CI 3.9–9.0%; p-value < 0.001) of beta-blocker discontinuation could be attributed to being exposed to carvedilol.

Conclusion: On long-term follow-up period, carvedilol was associated with a higher risk of heart failure hospitalization and discontinuation if compared to metoprolol/bisoprolol/nebivolol users among patients with heart failure and obstructive airway diseases.