Which group of medications is known to be less effective as monotherapy in African American patients for hypertension?

Beta blockers are known to be less effective as monotherapy in African American patients for hypertension due to intrinsic pharmacogenomic differences that can affect drug metabolism and efficacy. Research has indicated that this population tends to respond better to other classes of antihypertensive medications, particularly diuretics and calcium channel blockers, which can provide more effective blood pressure control when used alone.

In addition, epidemiological data has shown that African American patients often have a different pathophysiology for hypertension, which may also contribute to the reduced effectiveness of beta blockers in these individuals. As such, guidelines often recommend the use of diuretics or calcium channel blockers as first-line treatments for hypertension in African American patients rather than beta blockers as monotherapy.