Review: Beta blockers are less effective than other antihypertensive drugs for reducing risk of stroke in primary hypertension.

M e t h o d s Data sources: PubMed and the Cochrane Library. Study selection and assessment: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared β-blockers as first-line treatment with placebo, no treatment, or other antihypertensive drugs in patients with primary hypertension, and evaluated all-cause mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, or both. Subgroup analyses were conducted for nonatenolol β-blockers, mixed β-blockers or diuretics, and atenolol. Outcomes: All-cause mortality, stroke, and MI.