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Improving blood pressure control in patients with diabetes mellitus and high cardiovascular risk

Henry L Elliott1, Suzanne M Lloyd, Ian Ford

  • 1Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK.

International Journal of Hypertension
|January 29, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Adding nifedipine GITS to background treatment significantly improved blood pressure control and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes and coronary artery disease. These findings highlight benefits for high-risk diabetic patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Diabetology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Patients with diabetes mellitus and symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) face very high cardiovascular (CV) risk.
  • Hypertension is common in this high-risk population.
  • The ACTION trial demonstrated improved outcomes with nifedipine GITS in stable angina and hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a posthoc analysis of diabetic patients within the ACTION trial.
  • To evaluate the impact of adding nifedipine GITS on blood pressure (BP) control and CV outcomes in diabetic patients with CAD.
  • To assess therapeutic relevance in current practice.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 1113 diabetic patients from the ACTION trial.
  • Inclusion of patients with stable angina, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus.
  • Assessment of outcomes with background CV treatment, including ACE inhibitors, plus nifedipine GITS.

Main Results:

  • Addition of nifedipine GITS significantly improved BP control (average 6/3 mmHg).
  • Significant improvements in CV outcomes were observed.
  • Benefits were evident despite existing CV treatments and ACE inhibitor use.

Conclusions:

  • Adding nifedipine GITS to background therapy improves BP control and CV outcomes in high-risk diabetic patients with CAD.
  • These findings support the continued relevance of nifedipine GITS in managing hypertension and reducing CV risk in this population.
  • The study underscores the importance of optimizing BP management in diabetic patients with established cardiovascular disease.

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