Atenolol review conclusion in doubt
Findings from a recent systematic review on atenolol by Swedish researchers may not be significant, a quality assessment has shown.
Following the publication of the review in The Lancet that cast doubts
on the effectiveness of atenolol in preventing death from cardiovascular
causes in patients with hypertension (PJ, 13 November, p706), a critical
research assessment has been carried out by the National Electronic Library
for Health.
The assessment highlights limitations with the researchers’ statistical
analysis that, although following standard practice, did not take into
account the differences between the trial populations. Factors such as
patient type, blood pressure level and treatment dose should also be
taken into consideration, according to the assessment. The NELH concludes
that: “Overall this research demonstrated that when atenolol was
used as a single drug for the treatment of hypertension the long-term
goals of treatment were not achieved. Other treatments may be better,
but this was not demonstrated clearly.”
The assessment is available here |
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