Diabetes and hypertension: the bad companions.

DIABETES AND HYPERTENSION: Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are interrelated diseases that strongly predispose people to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Hypertension is about twice as frequent in individuals with diabetes as in those without. The prevalence of coexisting hypertension and diabetes appears to be increasing in industrialized nations because populations are aging, and both hypertension and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) increase with age. An estimated 35-75% of diabetic cardiovascular and renal complications can be attributed to hypertension. ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION: Essential hypertension accounts for the majority of hypertension in individuals with diabetes, particularly those with NIDDM, who constitute over 90% of those with a dual diagnosis of diabetes and hypertension. Diabetic nephropathy, which occurs after 15 years of diabetes in one-third of those with insulin-dependent diabetes and 20% of those with NIDDM, is an important contributing factor to the development of hypertension in the diabetic. New investigations should focus increasingly on identifying appropriate antihypertensive agents that not only lower blood pressure but also reduce cardiovascular risk and retard the rate of progression of diabetic renal disease.