Certain heart drugs can up your risk of falling

Older adults who take cardiovascular medications i.e.those using non-selective beta-blockers, may be at an increased risk of falling compared with those using selective beta-blockers, according to a recent study.

These types of drugs are already known to differ by their receptor binding properties and their systemic effects on the body.

In the analysis of data from 2 prospective studies involving more than 10,000 individuals, use of a selective beta-blocker was not associated with fall risk, but use of a non-selective beta-blocker was associated with a 22% increased risk.

In total, 2,917 participants encountered a fall during follow-up.

The results indicate that fall risk should be considered when weighing the pros and cons of prescribing different beta-blocker classes for older individuals.

"Drug-related falls remain under-recognized, leading to preventable falls and related injury. Precise prediction of drug-related fall risk is of major importance for clinical decision-making," said senior author Nathalie van der Velde. "Knowledge of type-specific effects such as selectivity in beta-blockers can be expected to improve decision-making."

The research appears in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.