Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Long-term treatment with low-dose metoprolol CR/XL is associated with increased plaque echogenicity: The Beta-blocker Cholesterol-lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS).

Östling, Gerd LU ; Goncalves, Isabel LU orcid ; Wikstrand, John ; Berglund, Göran LU ; Nilsson, Jan LU and Hedblad, Bo LU (2011) In Atherosclerosis 215. p.440-445
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the decrease in IMT progression rate in the carotid bulb induced by metoprolol CR/XL treatment (25mg once daily) observed in the β-blocker Cholesterol-lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS) was accompanied by an effect on carotid plaque echogenicity. METHODS: Gray scale median (GSM) in carotid plaques, used as a score of echogenicity, was measured at baseline and after 36 months in those 341 subjects (aged 49-69 years) with an asymptomatic moderate- to large-sized carotid plaque present at baseline and at follow-up. Participants were in a factorial design assigned to treatment with metoprolol CR/XL (25mg once daily), fluvastatin (40mg once daily) or corresponding placebo. RESULTS: After 36 months plaques... (More)
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the decrease in IMT progression rate in the carotid bulb induced by metoprolol CR/XL treatment (25mg once daily) observed in the β-blocker Cholesterol-lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS) was accompanied by an effect on carotid plaque echogenicity. METHODS: Gray scale median (GSM) in carotid plaques, used as a score of echogenicity, was measured at baseline and after 36 months in those 341 subjects (aged 49-69 years) with an asymptomatic moderate- to large-sized carotid plaque present at baseline and at follow-up. Participants were in a factorial design assigned to treatment with metoprolol CR/XL (25mg once daily), fluvastatin (40mg once daily) or corresponding placebo. RESULTS: After 36 months plaques were more echogenic in participants treated compared to those not treated with metoprolol CR/XL (57.3±16.8 versus 51.8±20.0, p=0.006). GSM had increased more from baseline in the metoprolol CR/XL treated subjects (25±15 versus 18±20, p<0.001), and plaques that had become more echolucent were less frequent in the metoprolol CR/XL treated subjects (3.6% versus 17.0%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment with low dose metoprolol CR/XL in clinically healthy subjects with moderate-sized carotid plaques was associated with increase in plaque echogenicity, suggesting a potential beneficial effect of the β-blocker treatment on plaque stability. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Atherosclerosis
volume
215
pages
440 - 445
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000288940000027
  • pmid:21315352
  • scopus:79953062298
  • pmid:21315352
ISSN
1879-1484
DOI
10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.12.031
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
76e34369-21cd-4c03-87c0-985db3fb856e (old id 1831918)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21315352?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:47:16
date last changed
2022-04-20 06:14:12
@article{76e34369-21cd-4c03-87c0-985db3fb856e,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the decrease in IMT progression rate in the carotid bulb induced by metoprolol CR/XL treatment (25mg once daily) observed in the β-blocker Cholesterol-lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS) was accompanied by an effect on carotid plaque echogenicity. METHODS: Gray scale median (GSM) in carotid plaques, used as a score of echogenicity, was measured at baseline and after 36 months in those 341 subjects (aged 49-69 years) with an asymptomatic moderate- to large-sized carotid plaque present at baseline and at follow-up. Participants were in a factorial design assigned to treatment with metoprolol CR/XL (25mg once daily), fluvastatin (40mg once daily) or corresponding placebo. RESULTS: After 36 months plaques were more echogenic in participants treated compared to those not treated with metoprolol CR/XL (57.3±16.8 versus 51.8±20.0, p=0.006). GSM had increased more from baseline in the metoprolol CR/XL treated subjects (25±15 versus 18±20, p&lt;0.001), and plaques that had become more echolucent were less frequent in the metoprolol CR/XL treated subjects (3.6% versus 17.0%, p&lt;0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment with low dose metoprolol CR/XL in clinically healthy subjects with moderate-sized carotid plaques was associated with increase in plaque echogenicity, suggesting a potential beneficial effect of the β-blocker treatment on plaque stability.}},
  author       = {{Östling, Gerd and Goncalves, Isabel and Wikstrand, John and Berglund, Göran and Nilsson, Jan and Hedblad, Bo}},
  issn         = {{1879-1484}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{440--445}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Atherosclerosis}},
  title        = {{Long-term treatment with low-dose metoprolol CR/XL is associated with increased plaque echogenicity: The Beta-blocker Cholesterol-lowering Asymptomatic Plaque Study (BCAPS).}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/2136931/1858592.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.12.031}},
  volume       = {{215}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}