 |
Which Patients with High Blood Pressure Will Develop Diabetes?What is the problem and what is known about it so far?High blood pressure raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and the two conditions often co-exist. Different types of high blood pressure medicines may raise or lower a patient's risk for developing diabetes. Identifying which patients with high blood pressure are most likely to develop diabetes would help health care providers tailor blood pressure treatments to lower patients' risk of diabetes. Why did researchers do this particular study?The researchers wanted to find out what factors best predict whether someone with high blood pressure will develop diabetes. Who was studied?Almost 20,000 adult patients who had high blood pressure and at least three risk factors for heart disease; these patients had participated in a large study comparing two different blood pressure medicines. How was the study done?Researchers looked at data from a previous study of blood pressure medicines to see how many patients developed diabetes in the 5.5 years after the start of the first trial and which factors seemed to play a role in the development of the disease. What did the researchers find?Among all the subjects, those who were younger and had higher fasting plasma glucose levels, body mass index, triglyceride (blood fat) levels, and systolic (top number) blood pressure levels at the start of the initial study were significantly more likely to develop diabetes. Patients whose high blood pressure was treated with a combination of beta blocker and diuretic drugs were more likely to develop diabetes than those treated with a combination of calcium channel blocker and ACE inhibitor drugs. Older age, high HDL cholesterol, and moderate alcohol consumption lowered the likelihood that a patient would develop diabetes. What were the limitations of the study?Most of the subjects were Caucasian, male, and from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Nordic countries. Therefore, the results may not apply to other groups. What are the implications of the study?Treating high blood pressure patients with a combination of calcium channel blocker and ACE inhibitor drugs can reduce their risk for developing diabetes. Numerous other factors, including age, weight, and fasting glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels, affect a patients' risk for developing diabetes and should be taken into account when prescribing high blood pressure treatments. |
DONATE! Give hope for a better future! Ask the Dietitian Your Questions |
|
| Información en español | About Us | Donate Now | Join ADA | Volunteer | Message Boards | Sign up for Enewsletters |
