Coronary heart disease and the treatment of hypertension: impact of diuretics on serum lipids and glucose.

In summary, diuretic-based antihypertensive therapy causes glucose intolerance and raises glycohemoglobin concentrations as well as blood cholesterol and triglycerides. Various indices of glucose intolerance correlate with alterations in lipid concentrations. The correlations suggest that these metabolic disturbances are linked or have a common mechanism. When the three CHD risk factors of glucose, cholesterol and SBP are considered together, the net change during diuretic-based treatment may not be uniformly favorable. Other antihypertensive regimens might produce a move salubrious effect on the risk factors. Once identified, such regimens will need to be tested against diuretic regimens to ascertain whether the theoretical advantage suggested by risk factor analysis translates into a reduction in real-life coronary events.