Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37989489›Full record

ArticleBMJ open respiratory research2023

Beta-blockers reduce severe exacerbation in patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with atrial fibrillation: a population-based cohort study.

Shan-Ju Lin, Xin-Min Liao, Nai-Yu Chen, Yu-Ching Chang, Ching-Lan Cheng

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open respiratory research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Appraisal of β-Blocker Use in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.American journal of cardiovascular drugs : drugs, devices, and other interventions · 2025
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Observational
  5. Impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients with atrial fibrillation: an analysis from the GLORIA-AF registry.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Shan-Ju Lin *School of Pharmacy and Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Xin-Min Liao *Department of Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Nai-Yu ChenSchool of Pharmacy and Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Yu-Ching ChangSchool of Pharmacy and Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Ching-Lan ChengSchool of Pharmacy and Institute of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan clcheng@mail.ncku.edu.tw.ORCID 0000-0001-9258-3239
National Cheng Kung University · TWNational Cheng Kung University Hospital · TWKaohsiung Veterans General Hospital · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectiveBeta-blockers (BBs) decrease mortality and acute exacerbation (AE) rates in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease; however, information on their effects in patients with COPD and atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited. We aimed to assess the AE risk in patients with different severities of COPD and AF receiving BBs compared with that in patients receiving calcium channel blockers (CCBs).

methodsThis retrospective cohort study used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database from 2009 to 2018. Outcomes included AE-related emergency room visits and hospitalisation. HRs and 95% CIs were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. COPD severity was classified as mild or severe based on exacerbation history. Sensitivity analyses included treatment and subgroup analyses, and competing risk adjustment.

resultsAfter propensity score matching, 4486 pairs of BB and CCB users from 13 462 eligible patients were included. The exacerbation risk for BB users was lower (HR 0.80; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.89) than that of CCB users. After stratification, BB benefits persisted in the mild COPD group (HR 0.75; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.85), unlike the severe COPD group (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.75 to 1.20). The results of the subgroup analysis showed consistent protective effects even in patients without heart failure or myocardial infarction (adjusted HR 0.82; 95% CI 0.71 to 0.94).

conclusionWe found that BB use in patients with mild COPD and AF was associated with a lower exacerbation risk than CCB use, and that close monitoring of BB use in patients with severe COPD and AF is warranted.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveAdrenergic beta-AntagonistsCohort StudiesHumansRetrospective StudiesAdrenergic beta-AntagonistsClinical EpidemiologyCOPD Exacerbations

Identifiers

PMID37989489
PMCPMC10660430
OpenAlexW4388871613

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.