More about the "ARB MI paradox"

Roadmap for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes and Hypertension in the Middle East: Review of the 2022 EVIDENT Summit

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension are leading risk factors for death and disability in the Middle East. Both conditions are highly prevalent, underdiagnosed and poorly controlled, highlighting an urgent need for a roadmap to overcome the barriers to optimal glycaemic and blood pressure management in this region. This review provides a summary of the Evidence in Diabetes and Hypertension Summit (EVIDENT) held in September 2022, which discussed current treatment guidelines, unmet clinical needs and strategies to improve treatment outcomes for patients with T2DM and hypertension in the Middle East. Current clinical guidelines recommend strict glycaemic and blood pressure targets, presenting several treatment options to achieve and maintain these targets and prevent complications. However, treatment targets are infrequently met in the Middle East, largely due to high clinical inertia among physicians and low medication adherence among patients. To address these challenges, clinical guidelines now provide individualised therapy recommendations based on drug profiles, patient preferences and management priorities. Efforts to improve the early detection of prediabetes, T2DM screening and intensive, early glucose control will minimise long-term complications. Physicians can use the T2DM Oral Agents Fact Checking programme to help navigate the wide range of treatment options and guide clinical decision-making. Sulfonylurea agents have been used successfully to manage T2DM; a newer agent, gliclazide MR (modified release formulation), has the advantages of a lower incidence of hypoglycaemia with no risk of cardiovascular events, weight neutrality and proven renal benefits. For patients with hypertension, single-pill combinations have been developed to improve efficacy and reduce treatment burden. In conjunction with pragmatic treatment algorithms and personalised therapies, greater investments in disease prevention, public awareness, training of healthcare providers, patient education, government policies and research are needed to improve the quality of care of patients with T2DM and/or hypertension in the Middle East.

Risk of cancer with angiotensin-receptor blockers increases with increasing cumulative exposure: Meta-regression analysis of randomized trials

Angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) are a class of drugs approved for the treatment of several common conditions, such as hypertension and heart failure. Recently, regulatory agencies have started to identify possibly carcinogenic nitrosamines and azido compounds in a multitude of formulations of several ARBs, resulting in progressive recalls. Furthermore, data from several randomized controlled trials suggested that there is also a clinically increased risk of cancer and specifically lung cancer with ARBs; whereas other trials suggested no increased risk. The purpose of this analysis was to provide additional insight into the ARB-cancer link by examining whether there is a relationship between degree of cumulative exposure to ARBs and risk of cancer in randomized trials. Trial-level data from ARB Trialists Collaboration including 15 randomized controlled trials was extracted and entered into meta-regression analyses. The two co-primary outcomes were the relationship between cumulative exposure to ARBs and risk of all cancers combined and the relationship between cumulative exposure and risk of lung cancer. A total of 74,021 patients were randomized to an ARB resulting in a total cumulative exposure of 172,389 person-years of exposure to daily high dose (or equivalent). 61,197 patients were randomized to control. There was a highly significant correlation between the degree of cumulative exposure to ARBs and risk of all cancers combined (slope = 0.07 [95% CI 0.03 to 0.11], p<0.001), and also lung cancer (slope = 0.16 [95% CI 0.05 to 0.27], p = 0.003). Accordingly, in trials where the cumulative exposure was greater than 3 years of exposure to daily high dose, there was a statistically significant increase in risk of all cancers combined (I² = 31.4%, RR 1.11 [95% CI 1.03 to 1.19], p = 0.006). There was a statistically significant increase in risk of lung cancers in trials where the cumulative exposure was greater than 2.5 years (I² = 0%, RR 1.21 [95% CI 1.02 to 1.44], p = 0.03). In trials with lower cumulative exposure to ARBs, there was no increased risk of all cancers combined or lung cancer. Cumulative exposure-risk relationship with ARBs was independent of background angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor treatment or the type of control (i.e. placebo or non-placebo control). Since this is a trial-level analysis. the effects of patient characteristics such as age and smoking status could not be examined due to lack of patient-level data. In conclusion, this analysis, for the first time, reveals that risk of cancer with ARBs (and specifically lung cancer) increases with increasing cumulative exposure to these drugs. The excess risk of cancer with long-term ARB use has public health implications.

Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes of Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade in Adult Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review with Network Meta-Analyses

BACKGROUND

Medications aimed at inhibiting the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been used extensively for preventing cardiovascular and renal complications in patients with diabetes, but data that compare their clinical effectiveness are limited. We aimed to compare the effects of classes of RAS blockers on cardiovascular and renal outcomes in adults with diabetes.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

Eligible trials were identified by electronic searches in PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1 January 2004 to 17 July 2014). Interventions of interest were angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and direct renin (DR) inhibitors. The primary endpoints were cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke-singly and as a composite endpoint, major cardiovascular outcome-and end-stage renal disease [ESRD], doubling of serum creatinine, and all-cause mortality-singly and as a composite endpoint, progression of renal disease. Secondary endpoints were angina pectoris and hospitalization for heart failure. In all, 71 trials (103,120 participants), with a total of 14 different regimens, were pooled using network meta-analyses. When compared with ACE inhibitor, no other RAS blocker used in monotherapy and/or combination was associated with a significant reduction in major cardiovascular outcomes: ARB (odds ratio [OR] 1.02; 95% credible interval [CrI] 0.90-1.18), ACE inhibitor plus ARB (0.97; 95% CrI 0.79-1.19), DR inhibitor plus ACE inhibitor (1.32; 95% CrI 0.96-1.81), and DR inhibitor plus ARB (1.00; 95% CrI 0.73-1.38). For the risk of progression of renal disease, no significant differences were detected between ACE inhibitor and each of the remaining therapies: ARB (OR 1.10; 95% CrI 0.90-1.40), ACE inhibitor plus ARB (0.97; 95% CrI 0.72-1.29), DR inhibitor plus ACE inhibitor (0.99; 95% CrI 0.65-1.57), and DR inhibitor plus ARB (1.18; 95% CrI 0.78-1.84). No significant differences were showed between ACE inhibitors and ARBs with respect to all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, angina pectoris, hospitalization for heart failure, ESRD, or doubling serum creatinine. Findings were limited by the clinical and methodological heterogeneity of the included studies. Potential inconsistency was identified in network meta-analyses of stroke and angina pectoris, limiting the conclusiveness of findings for these single endpoints.

CONCLUSIONS

In adults with diabetes, comparisons of different RAS blockers showed similar effects of ACE inhibitors and ARBs on major cardiovascular and renal outcomes. Compared with monotherapies, the combination of an ACE inhibitor and an ARB failed to provide significant benefits on major outcomes. Clinicians should discuss the balance between benefits, costs, and potential harms with individual diabetes patients before starting treatment.

REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42014014404.