Cardiac, renal and vascular complications in the diabetic patient.
Type 2 diabetes has long been known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Patients with type 2 diabetes have also been shown to benefit more from antihypertensive therapy than do non-diabetics with hypertension. The benefits of aggressive antihypertensive therapy are reflected in the recent reduction of blood pressure (BP) targets in international guidelines. Drugs acting on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) have well-documented efficacy, and results from large-scale trials with highly selective angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor blockers (ARBs), such as valsartan, are awaited. The VALUE trial will provide the largest body of information yet on the comparative benefits of using an ARB or calcium channel blocker in hypertensive patients with diabetes.
Zanchetti
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Centre of Clinical Physiology and Hypertension, University of Milan, Milan, 20122, Italy. Zanchett@mailserver.unimi.it
D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D012306:Risk
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents