Two recent population-based studies reported higher death rates in patients given metoprolol tartrate than in those given atenolol. These observations contrast with those of a US study in which patients with known cardiovascular disease were excluded, suggesting that indication bias or residual confounding might account for the difference in findings.
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W.J.E. has received royalties from Elsevier. S.K.R. declares no competing interests.
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Randhawa, S., Elliott, W. Atenolol versus metoprolol tartrate—conflicting outcomes data. Nat Rev Nephrol 10, 617–618 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2014.164
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2014.164
