High blood pressure drugs may cause diabetes

High blood pressure meds may lead to diabetes

The May 2006 issue of Diabetes Care contains a study that shows how two types of high blood pressure medications may raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

And the June 2006 issue of Diabetes Care presents this unsettling report: More than 73 million Americans have diabetes or a pre-diabetic condition, but many of them – millions of them – are not aware of it.

The research in the May issue was conducted by a Harvard Medical School team that examined data from three large studies. After comparing rates of hypertension drug use with diabetes statistics for nearly 75,000 subjects, researchers found that thiazide diuretics increased diabetes risk by 36 percent in men, 20 percent in older women and 45 percent in younger women. Older women who took beta-blocker drugs increased their diabetes risk by more than 30 percent, with a 20 percent increase for men.

Meanwhile, the report in the June issue of Diabetes Care underscores the fact that the number of people who have pre-diabetes or undiagnosed diabetes remains very high in spite of increased efforts to inform people of just how common type 2 diabetes has become.

If you know someone who takes a hypertension drug that’s in either of the two classes – beta-blockers or thiazide diuretics – let them know they may be at risk of joining the ranks of pre-diabetics who have a greater chance of developing serious health complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney failure.

“Some Blood Pressure Meds May Raise Diabetes Risk” Reuters Health, 5/19/06, reutershealth.com
“Silent Diabetes Still a Problem” Ivanhoe Newswire, 5/31/06, Ivanhoe.com