Incidence of new stroke or new myocardial infarction or death at 39-month follow-up in patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension or both with and without microalbuminuria

Drug treatment of hypertension in older patients with diabetes mellitus

INTRODUCTION

Hypertension is more prevalent in the elderly (age>65 years) diabetic population than in the general population and shows an increasing prevalence with advancing age. Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension are independent risk factors for cardiovascular (CV) related morbidity and mortality. Optimal BP targets were not identified in elderly patients with DM and hypertension.

AREAS COVERED

In this review article, the authors briefly discuss the pathophysiology of hypertension in elderly diabetics, present evidence with various antihypertensive drug classes supporting the treatment of hypertension to reduce CV events in older diabetics, and then discuss the optimal target BP goals in these patients.

EXPERT OPINION

Clinicians should have a BP goal of less than 130/80 mm in all elderly patients with hypertension and DM, especially in those with high CV-risk. When medications are required for optimal BP control in addition to lifestyle measures, either thiazide diuretics, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, or calcium channel blockers should be considered as initial therapy. Combinations of medications are usually required in these patients because BP control is more difficult to achieve in diabetics than those without DM.

Psoriasis and the risk of diabetes and hypertension: a prospective study of US female nurses

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the independent association between psoriasis and risk of diabetes and hypertension.

DESIGN

A prospective study of female nurses who were followed up from 1991 to 2005.

SETTING

Nurses' Health Study II, a cohort of 116 671 US women aged 27 to 44 years in 1991.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included 78 061 women who responded to a question about a lifetime history of physician-diagnosed psoriasis in 2005. Women who reported a diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension at baseline were excluded. Main Outcome Measure New diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension, obtained from biennial questionnaires.

RESULTS

Of the 78 061 women, 1813 (2.3%) reported a diagnosis of psoriasis. During the 14 years of follow-up, a total of 1560 incident cases (2%) of diabetes and 15 724 incident cases (20%) of hypertension were documented. The multivariate-adjusted relative risk of diabetes in women with psoriasis compared with women without psoriasis was 1.63 (95% confidence interval, 1.25-2.12). Women with psoriasis were also at an increased risk for the development of hypertension (multivariate relative risk, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.30). Age, body mass index, and smoking status did not significantly modify the association between psoriasis and risk of diabetes or hypertension (P values for interaction, > or =.07).

CONCLUSIONS

In this prospective analysis, psoriasis was independently associated with an increased risk of diabetes and hypertension. Future studies are needed to find out whether psoriasis treatment will reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension.

Hypertension and the older diabetic

Hypertension is a common comorbidity in persons with diabetes mellitus, and its prevalence increases with advancing age. Both diabetes mellitus and hypertension are independent risk factors for development in older persons of coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and of congestive heart failure. This article reviews studies addressing the implications of hypertension and the older diabetic.