Patients with diabetes mellitus are at a higher risk of hypertension-related complications. Besides, the efficacy of antihypertensive treatments in patients with Diabetes Mellitus is also not clear. This study aims to investigate the effects of antihypertensive treatment at different blood pressure levels in patients with diabetes.
This systematic review and meta-analysis included a total of 49 randomized controlled trials included 73,738 participants with diabetes who were treated for 12 or more months. The researchers compared the treatment outcomes of antihypertensive treatments vs. placebo. The primary outcome of the study was the risk of mortality and cardiovascular morbidity.
The findings suggested that antihypertensive treatment for systolic blood pressure higher than 150 mm Hg was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. For systolic blood pressure of 140-150 mm Hg, additional hypertensive treatment reduced the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. But if the systolic blood pressure was higher lower than 140 mm Hg, further treatment reduced the risk increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
The research concluded that antihypertensive treatment in patients with diabetes mellitus was associated with a lower risk of mortality if the systolic blood pressure was higher than 140 mm Hg.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/352/bmj.i717
