%0 Journal Article %A K Swedberg %A A Hjalmarson %A F Waagstein %A I Wallentin %T Adverse effects of beta-blockade withdrawal in patients with congestive cardiomyopathy. %D 1980 %R 10.1136/hrt.44.2.134 %J British Heart Journal %P 134-142 %V 44 %N 2 %X Fifteen patients with congestive cardiomyopathy who had improved conspicuously on chronic administration of a beta-blocker were studied after withdrawal of the drug. In six patients there was a pronounced deterioration of their clinical condition, and in all of the remaining patients there was a significant decrease in ejection fraction, and signs of compromised diastolic function with pathological apex curves and an increase in third heart sound. All these changes were reversed within a few weeks to a few months after readministration of beta-blocking drugs. This study supports the idea that an aetiological factor in congestive cardiomyopathy may be a pathological response to sympathetic stimulation which could be partly controlled by administration of beta-blocking drugs. %U https://heart.bmj.com/content/heartjnl/44/2/134.full.pdf