β-Blocker prescription and outcomes in hemodialysis patients from the japan dialysis outcomes and practice patterns study

Background/Aims: Given the clear benefits of mortality reduction observed for most β-blockers in clinical trials, they are relatively underused in hemodialysis patients. Since the outcomes associated with the use of β-blockers are not fully known, we investigated their effect on mortality among a cohort of hemodialysis patients. Methods: Data were analyzed from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study phase II for 2,286 randomly selected patients on hemodialysis in Japan. Treatment with β-blockers was the major predictor variable. The main outcome measure was all-cause mortality. Cox regression analysis was used to assess an association between treatment with β-blockers and the risk of death. Results: 247 patients (11.9%) were administered β-blockers and 1,828 patients (88.1%) were not. Whereas patients treated with β-blockers had a higher prevalence of hypertension and coronary heart disease, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that all-cause mortality rates were significantly (p < 0.007) decreased in patients treated with β-blockers compared to those without. In multivariable, fully adjusted models, treatment with β-blockers was also independently associated with reduced all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = 0.48; p = 0.02). Conclusion: This study indicated a possible association between the use of β-blockers and reduced risk of mortality in hemodialysis patients. These results should be confirmed in further randomized controlled trials.