Women taking beta blockers issued warning amid new study

A new study has revealed that beta blockers, which are drugs commonly prescribed after heart attacks, could actually be 'detrimental' to women.

For those unfamiliar, according to the NHS website, the medicine works by blocking the action of hormones like adrenaline, therefore slowing down the heart.

Beta blockers are prescription-only medicines, issued to not only heart attack patients, but also those suffering from high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat), angina, and heart failure.

They are even sometimes used to treat more minor conditions such as an overactive thyroid, anxiety, a tremor, or glaucoma.

There are several types of beta blocker and each one has its own characteristics, so the type prescribed for each individual will depend on their health condition.

According to the British Heart Foundation, each year there are more than 50 million prescriptions for beta blockers in the UK, and as per Cleveland Clinic, the drugs are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States.

A new scientific study is claiming that a popular heart attack medicine could actually be causing harm to women (Getty Stock Image)

However, a worrying new study published in the European Heart Journal is claiming that the popular pills may actually contribute to hospitalisation and even death for women.

It found that women with minor heart damage after suffering heart attacks and were treated with beta-blockers, were significantly more likely to have another heart attack or be hospitalised for heart failure later down the line.

The study also found that women who took the drug were found nearly three times more likely to die compared with women not given it, reports The Independent.

The adverse affects were not observed in men and the lead author of the study, Dr. Borja Ibáñez, scientific director for Madrid’s National Center for Cardiovascular Investigation, said the issues were 'especially true for women receiving high doses of beta-blockers'.

She described the findings as 'significant' as the number of female participants in the trial was the largest ever included in a study which tested beta blockers after a heart attack.

It's important to note though, that the findings only applied to women who have a left ventricular ejection fraction above 50%, which the research outlines as normal.

To break down the jargon, left ejection fraction is simply a way of measuring how well the left side of the heart is pumping oxygenated blood throughout the body.

Women taking beta blockers were found to be nearly three times more likely to die than those who weren't (Getty Stock Image)

So, as the study outlines, beta blockers remain beneficial to those with a score below 40% after a heart attack.

The research itself was part of a bigger clinical trial known as REBOOT, which followed over 8,000 men and women who were treated for heart attacks at 109 hospitals throughout Spain and Italy for nearly four years.

Although this information may feel shocking to us, one health expert has laid out exactly why this could be happening - and it's all to do with a lack of research surrounding women's health.

Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, told CNN: "That’s actually not surprising.

"Gender has a lot to do with how people respond to medication. In many cases, women have smaller hearts."

He added: "They’re more sensitive to blood pressure medications. Some of that may have to do with size, and some may have to do with other factors we have yet to fully understand.”

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