No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

postdischarge clinical outcomes, including longer length of stay, higher rates of minor and major complications and mortality, and higher costs. [1][2][3][4]7 The mechanisms that contribute to a possible effect of b-blockers on weight and body fat remain unknown. SNS activation has been shown to be an important inhibitor of food intake in rodents. 8 Inhibition of the SNS using b-blockers would then be expected to stimulate food intake. In addition, SNS inhibition by b-blockers may reduce weight loss in hospitalized patients through a concomitant reduction in energy expenditure and stress-induced lipolysis. 9 Although these metabolic changes would be detrimental in obese patients using b-blockers in the treatment of hypertension, they may be beneficial in elderly patients for the maintenance of body weight.The current study may have significant clinical implications. Therapeutic interventions for weight loss are limited in the elderly population. Adherence to nutritional supplements is generally poor. 10 Although the cross-sectional design of the current study cannot establish causality, the observation of a rapid divergence in weight within 1 week of hospitalization suggests that short-term b-blocker therapy may have a beneficial role in weight maintenance in elderly hospitalized patients. Further research is required to investigate the role of short-term b-blockade on energy balance in hospitalized elderly patients.