Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease can benefit from beta-blocker treatment
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary heart disease share smoking as the most important com­mon risk factor and there is a high prevalence of cardio­vascular disease among COPD patients. Although cardiose­lective beta-blockers are safe in treatment of COPD, they are often withheld in these patients. In observational studies, beta-blocker treatment is associated with significantly reduced mortality and reduced risk of exacerbations of COPD. This effect may be caused by the beneficial effect of beta-blockers on heart failure, tachycardia and upregulation of beta-receptors in the airways.