Hypertensive patients and diabetes: a high-risk population

Rising worldwide rates of diabetes mellitus heighten the need to maintain adequate metabolic control in diabetic patients and to control for other cardiovascular risk factors, such as lipid profile disturbances, high blood pressure, and smoking habits. This is especially the case in diabetic patients who also present with hypertension, a co-morbid state that is present in at least 50% of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients. Cardiovascular disease is present in 75% of all diabetes-related deaths, and the concomitant condition of diabetes and hypertension is believed to act synergistically on elevating the risk for cardiovascular disease. A number of trials have demonstrated a greater incidence of cardiovascular disease end points in diabetic hypertensive patients than in diabetic normotensive patients. Furthermore, hypertension is associated not only with an increased risk for cardiovascular mortality but also for microvascular complications in patients with diabetes. Adequate treatment of high blood pressure is imperative in these patients. The effectiveness of antihypertensive treatment can be measured not only by the degree of reduction in blood pressure but also by assessment of the effects on urinary albumin excretion rate. It is assumed that the greater the reduction in urinary albumin excretion rate, the greater the renoprotective effect. Treatment choices should be evidence-based, i.e., physicians should concentrate not only on the treatment of hypertension but also on improving glycemic control and lipid profile disorders, when necessary. When viewed in this regard, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, low-dose diuretics, and in some cases beta-blockers, should be considered agents of choice in hypertensive diabetic patients.