America Runs On… Metoprolol

Ruth Stoia

“Heart failure is a mortal illness, more serious than most malignancies.” — Arnold M. Katz 

The leading cause of death in the United States according to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) is heart disease. Mayo clinic describes heart disease as a range of conditions that affect the heart such as coronary artery disease (blood vessel disease), arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), congenital heart defects (heart conditions that exist from birth), disease of heart muscle, and heart valve disease. In 2023, the CDC reported that 919,032 U.S citizens died from cardiovascular disease.

Metoprolol, or metoprolol succinate, is a beta blocker used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), angina (chest pain), heart attack recovery (improves heart survival after heart attack and reduces risk of another), heart failure (chronic), and irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmia: atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia). Beta blockers work by selectively blocking beta-1 adrenergic receptors found primarily in the heart, which helps control the rate and strength of each heartbeat. In simple terms, they slow down the heart rate and relax the blood vessels, forcing the heart to beat slower and with less force. Metoprolol is not a cure for any of these conditions, but it helps in mitigating and living with them. Definitive Healthcare stated that metoprolol was one of the top beta blockers prescribed to American patients in 2023. According to ClinCalc, in 2023, an estimated number of metoprolol prescriptions in the US totaled to be about 59,547,256 (an estimated 14.8 million Americans); 4.4% of the country took metoprolol in 2023. With the significant prevalence of heart disease in America, Americans are quite literally running on heart medications to keep their hearts pumping.

That said, while drugs such as metoprolol represent incredible advances in cardiovascular medicine, prevention remains the best treatment. Cardiologists emphasize that the best treatment for any kind of heart disease is taking healthy measures before the disease or illness sets in. For example, to prevent coronary artery disease (CAD), which is when arteries that supply the heart with blood become narrowed or blocked with fatty deposits (plaque), try eating a diet consisting of heart healthy foods (fruits, vegetables, protein) and pairing it with daily aerobic exercise. Taking measures such as eating healthy and exercising daily also lowers your chances of developing diseases and illness in other body systems, not just the cardiovascular. Modern medicine heals the errors of the human body, but it is a healthy initiative to do better that keeps us alive. Prevention is better than treatment.

Copy editor: Shriya Garg

Photography source: WordPress AI