New treatment guidelines for a patient with diabetes and hypertension.

Guidelines for medical treatment are becoming increasingly popular and many guidelines have been produced by various societies in diabetes, hypertension, and renal disease as well as general medicine. By their nature, they are outdated considering the rapid and efficient publication of many papers related to the treatment of hypertension in diabetes. Increased blood glucose causes vascular damage and abnormal vascular structure all over the body, an abnormal structure that is especially vulnerable to high blood pressure, even within the so-called normal range. There is now more and more evidence, especially in diabetics, that blood pressure should be as low as possible. In this context, it is important to stress that the so-called J-shaped relationship between blood pressure and mortality may not be so relevant. Major epidemiological studies came from the Framingham and the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT) Diabetic Cohort. The MRFIT Cohort showed that cardiovascular mortality was increased by a factor of 2-4 in diabetic patients, and there was a clear association between systolic blood pressure and complications without any threshold value. It could be suggested that since diabetes is an important cardiovascular risk factor, a lower value (130/85 mmHg) than for non-diabetics (140/90 mmHg) should be proposed. The tight blood pressure control arm of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study was <150/85 mmHg (achieved 144/82 mmHg) and the aim in the less tight control arm was <180/105 mmHg (achieved 154/87 mmHg). In the tight control group, 29% needed three or more antihypertensive drugs. In the Hypertension Optimal Treatment study, the frequency of major cardiovascular disease events in the group with target <80 mmHg (achieved 144/81 mmHg) was 11.9/1000 patients/year, which was significantly lower than the event rate (24.4/1000 patients/year) in the group with target <90 mmHg (achieved 148/85 mmHg). A reduction in the frequency of diabetic nephropathy by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor treatment in normotensive lean microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients has been shown. However, it is impossible from the present data to draw any conclusions with respect to effect on the main composite endpoint of ACE inhibition in microalbuminuric type 2 diabetic patients without previous cardiovascular events or without hypertension. Recent published studies have also demonstrated beneficial effects with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes and nephropathy. Diuretics form a very important basis for antihypertensive treatment, also often in combination with agents that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system. Several studies show that treatment with the diuretic indapamide reduces the level of microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diuretics were used as an adjunctive to reduce blood pressure in all studies; it is therefore understandable that many guidelines suggest that diuretics form part of the treatment of hypertension in diabetics. Many studies of an epidemiological nature and follow-up studies in diabetic patients show that blood pressure control is of vital concern in the prevention of diabetic complications, and indeed the usual criteria for good blood pressure control may not be stringent enough in diabetic patients. Many classes of antihypertensives may be used, but it appears that diuretics, such as indapamide sustained release (SR), constitute an important proposal in all treatment strategies.