Insulin resistance in essential hypertensive patients with impaired glucose tolerance

This study evaluated insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in 17 non-obese hypertensive patients (aged 45.6 +/- 2.2 years, body mass index 24.0 +/- 0.5 kg/m2, mean +/- S.E.M.) with (n = 8) and without glucose intolerance (n = 9) and compared the results with those of 16 age-matched non-obese normotensive subjects with (n = 7) and without glucose intolerance (n = 9). The hypertensive patients without glucose intolerance showed a significantly lower insulin-mediated glucose disposal and a compensating increase in second-phase insulin secretion compared with normotensives without glucose intolerance. In hypertensives with glucose intolerance, insulin-mediated glucose disposal was significantly lower and second-phase insulin secretion was comparable to that in normotensives without glucose intolerance. After 3 months of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition with oral administration of delapril, blood pressure was significantly reduced in the hypertensives with glucose intolerance (n = 9). The insulin-mediated glucose disposal significantly (P < 0.01) recovered from 6.0 +/- 0.81 to 8.0 +/- 0.71 mg/kg per min. The second-phase insulin secretion tended to be lower (but not significantly) but insulin clearance increased from 15.4 +/- 0.85 to 19.1 +/- 1.42 ml/min (P < 0.05). These data show that in hypertensive patients without glucose intolerance insulin resistance might compensatorily augment second-phase insulin secretion and lead to hyperinsulinemia. In hypertensives with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance might induce postprandial hyperglycemia, which leads to hyperinsulinemia because of second phase insulin secretion at a level similar to that of normotensives.