Treatment of diabetic patients with hypertension.

This review attempts to highlight the potential of calcium-channel blockers in the prevention of sequelae of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in patients who have both disorders. Evidence-based medicine is driven by the results of randomized, clinical trials. Major contributions were therefore derived from post hoc analyses of the diabetic patients enrolled in placebo-controlled trials, such as Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP), Systolic Hypertension in Europe (Syst-Eur), and Systolic Hypertension in China (Syst-China), and stepped-care blood-pressure-oriented trials, such as the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) and United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS). Several studies, such as the Fosiniprl; versus Amlodipine Cardiovascular Events Trial (FACET) and Appropriate Blood Pressure Control in Diabetes (ABCD) Trial, have compared the relative merits of angiotensin-converting enzyme and calcium-channel blockers in preserving renal function and metabolic balance in diabetic patients with hypertension, but their publications focused on cardiovascular disorders, which were only secondary end points. On balance, the articles reviewed prove that dihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers score particularly well in the prevention of cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients with hypertension.