Beta-Blockers in COPD — A Controversy Resolved?

Cardiovascular disease, which is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), has a profound effect on morbidity and mortality, 1 yet the condition is often unrecognized and as a result is undertreated. 2 Systematic reviews have recognized the underuse of beta-blockers in patients with COPD who have coexisting cardiovascular disease because of fear of worsening lung function. 3 Beta-blockers have positive effects on morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure and in those who have had a myocardial infarction. 4,5 Most retrospective observational studies have suggested that such positive effects also occur in patients with COPD who have cardiovascular disease. 6,7 Along . . .