Diabetes mellitus in treated hypertension: incidence, predictive factors and the impact of non-selective beta-blockers and thiazide diuretics during 15 years treatment of middle-aged hypertensive men in the Primary Prevention Trial Göteborg, Sweden.

The objective of this study was to analyse predictive factors for the development of diabetes mellitus during long-term treatment of hypertension and to compare the diabetogenic potential of thiazide diuretics and non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blockers. The study population comprised 686 hypertensive men, aged 47-54 years, who were followed for 15 years. Patients were treated with either thiazide diuretics or beta-adrenoceptor blockers as monotherapy or in combination with one another or alternative other antihypertensive drugs. During the first part of the study, i.e. during the 1970s, only non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blockers were used. The average yearly incidence of the development of diabetes mellitus during follow-up was 1.3%. In univariate analysis body mass index, serum triglyceride level, radiographic heart enlargement and beta-blocker therapy were significantly associated with the development of diabetes mellitus. Predictors selected by stepwise Cox regression were body mass index, radiological heart enlargement and beta-blocker therapy. Two subgroups with patients treated with nonselective beta-adrenoceptor blockers but not with thiazide diuretics during the first five years of follow-up (the beta-blocker group; n = 93) or with thiazide diuretics but not with nonselective beta-adrenoceptor blockers during the first five years of follow-up (the thiazide-group; n = 96) were identified. The relative risk for developing diabetes mellitus was significantly higher in the beta-blocker group being 6.1 after 10 years and 3.5 after 15 years treatment in comparison with the thiazide group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)