Do we need to target 'prediabetic' hypertensive patients?

Patients at risk for diabetes development have been recently characterized as those presenting higher baseline serum glucose concentration, increased body mass index, elevated systolic blood pressure, reduced serum high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and those with history of prior use of antihypertensive drugs. Little is known, however, about the long-term outcome of patients at high risk for diabetes development, so-called 'prediabetic' patients. Prediabetes state has been defined as the presence of either impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose, and accumulating evidence suggests that individuals with a non-diabetic range of hyperglycaemia (prediabetic) are already at risk for cardiovascular diseases. This short review analyses the need of targeting 'prediabetic' hypertensive patients in order to develop strategies for cardiovascular protection intended to diminish the consequences of precipitating the development of diabetes and its cardiovascular and renal deleterious effects.