Quality of life/subjective symptoms during beta-blocker treatment.

beta-receptor antagonists have for many years been considered appropriate alternatives in the primary management of mild to moderate hypertension. Generally, they have been shown to be safe with a low frequency of serious side-effects. Among the predictable and usually doserelated side-effects are bradycardia, bronchospasm, hypotension, muscle fatigue and cold extremities. Examples of unexpected side-effects are gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and disturbed intestinal motility, skin reactions, sexual dysfunction, as well as effects related to the central nervous system (CNS) such as emotional disturbances. The CNS-related side-effects, the mechanisms of which are unclear, consist of subtle effects on general well-being, decreased initiative, a depressed frame of mind and disturbed sleep. Generally, however, beta-blockers in therapeutic dosages do not affect the qualitative functions of the brain. Thus, all beta-blockers on the market seem to have high benefit-risk ratio, but independent of their physiochemical properties and pharmacodynamic profile, they seem to cause side-effects to about the same extent. The results so far available have been obtained by primarily using objective methods. Further comparison has now been initiated using documented subjective methods to investigate whether the objectively documented differences are of any clinical relevance to the patient's quality of life. Although it cannot be claimed with certainty, nonselective beta-blockers seem to cause CNS-related side-effects to a greater extent than beta 1-selective blockers. Differences in the degree of hydrophilicity of the beta-blocker are apparently of no clinical relevance in this respect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)