Timolol Treatment After Myocardial Infarction in Diabetic Patients

In diabetic patients long-term treatment with timolol after myocardial infarction was related to a reduction in overall mortality, total cardiac death, sudden death, and nonfatal reinfarction, compared with patients in a placebo group. The analyses were based on 99 diabetic patients in the Norwegian timolol multicenter study. The dosage of timolol was 10 mg twice daily and the follow-up period was 12–33 mo (mean: 17 mo). When analyzing all randomized patients, there were 14 deaths in the placebo group and 6 deaths in the timolol group, a reduction of 62.8% (P < 0.05). The number of nonfatal reinfarctions was 10 in the placebo group and 2 in the timolol group, a reduction of 82.7% (P < 0.05). With regard to inclusion rate, side effects, withdrawals, and timolol-related reduction in mortality and reinfarction, the diabetic patients basically behaved like nondiabetic patients. The data were analyzed retrospectively and should be confirmed by a prospective study. The study also indicates that long-term treatment with timolol may induce slight carbohydrate intolerance.