Beta-Blockers for Prevention of Exercise-induced Left Ventricular Outflow Obstruction in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

The present study prospectively assessed the efficacy of beta-blocker treatment on left ventricular outflow tract obstruction provoked by physiologic exercise, in HC patients with no or only mild symptoms (NYHA functional class I or II). The main finding is that beta-blockers, at well-tolerated doses, are effective in preventing the development of exercise-induced obstruction in most cases, providing a rationale for pharmacologic treatment in this patient subset.