Study shows that new treatment reduces risk of patients developing diabetes.

Improved treatment for high blood pressure reduces risk of diabetes.

Have you got high blood pressure, and are you on medication? Then you should read this.

The old treatment for high blood pressure is commonly a combination of a "beta-blocker" and a "water tablet" (diuretic). Although effective at treating high blood pressure, this treatment can increase the risk of you developing diabetes, which can be a serious illness.

A new treatment has now been found to reduce this risk of diabetes by as much as 34%. The new treatment is a combination of a "ace inhibitor" and calcium inhibitor.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE ON TREATMENT FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Firstly, DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR CURRENT MEDICINE.

If you are on the old treatment, or are unsure what treatment you are on, then you should probably discuss this with your doctor to find what your treatment is, and to see if the new treatment is suitable for you. For instance, if there is a history of diabetes in your family.

More information
The ASCOT (Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial) Study is a long term study of nearly 20,000 patients in the UK,Ireland and Scandinavia to investigate the treatment of high blood pressure.

The new findings, announced 6th September 2006, show that a new treatment for high blood pressure significantly reduces the risk that the patient will develop diabetes.

It has long been known that high blood pressure (hypertension) increases the risk of developing diabetes by 2 or 3 times. The new treatment for high blood pressure reduces this risk by 34% COMPARED WITH existing treatments.


These findings are also important because diabetes increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The study took place over 5 years and is funded by pfizer.

More information is available at http://www.ascotstudy.org

Additional resources
Dr Chris Q & A about high blood pressure (hypertension)
Information from Dr Chris about diabetes

Search the web for information about:
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Beta blockers
Ace inhibitors
This content was created on Wed 6 September 2006

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