by Colin Kenny, GP, Dromore
Lowering blood pressure to prevent cardiovascular-related mortality in people with type 2 diabetes is now accepted practice and reinforced by the Quality and Outcomes Framework. In this meta-analysis, researchers combined 40 high-quality clinical trials, including more than 100,000 participants, to evaluate the magnitude of that benefit, to identify subgroups most likely to benefit and to assess the effects of various classes of antihypertensive drugs.
The study found that each 10mm-Hg lowering of systolic blood pressure was associated with a significantly reduced risk of mortality. A significant risk reduction was also noted in cardiovascular events, coronary heart disease, stroke, albuminuria and retinopathy. Generally, the classes of antihypertensive conferred similar benefits, but in lowering the risk of heart failure, diuretics and angiotensin receptor blockers were found to be particularly effective.
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