Background
Discharge beta-blocker prescription after myocardial infarction (MI) is recommended for all eligible patients. Numerous beta-blocker choices are presently available with variable glycometabolic effects, which could be an important consideration in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Whether patients with DM preferentially receive beta-blockers with favorable metabolic effects after MI and if this choice is associated with better glycemic control post-discharge is unknown.
Methods
Among patients from 24 US hospitals enrolled in an MI registry (2005–08), we investigated the frequency of “DM-friendly” beta-blocker prescription at discharge by DM status. Beta-blockers were classified as DM-friendly (e.g., carvedilol, labetalol), or non-DM-friendly (e.g., metoprolol, atenolol), based on their effects on glycemic control. Hierarchical, multivariable logistic regression examined the association of DM with DM-friendly beta-blocker use. Among DM patients, we examined the association of DM-friendly beta-blockers with worsened glycemic control at 6 months after MI.
Results
Of 4031 MI patients, 1382 (34%) had DM. Beta-blockers were prescribed at discharge in 93% of patients. DM-friendly beta-blocker use was low regardless of DM status, although patients with DM were more likely to be discharged on a DM-friendly beta-blocker compared with patients without DM (13.5% vs. 10.3%, p=0.003), an association that remained after multivariable adjustment (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.13–1.77). There was a trend toward a lower risk of worsened glucose control at 6 months in DM patients prescribed DM-friendly vs. non-friendly beta-blockers (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.60–1.08).
Conclusion
The vast majority of DM patients were prescribed non-DM friendly beta-blockers—a practice that was associated with a trend towards worse glycemic control post-discharge. While in need of further confirmation in larger studies, our findings highlight an opportunity to improve current practices of beta-blockers use in patients with DM.