High Blood Pressure Leads to Diabetes
Diabetes and high blood pressure have previously been considered unconnected conditions, but a recent study indicates there is a strong, causal relationship between the two ailments. While diabetes has been considered a risk factor for cardiovascular illness, the opposite appears to also hold true.
In a recent UK study, four million people without vascular disease or diabetes had their medical information tracked for seven years; experimenters documented new cases of diabetes and high blood pressure within the group. People with high blood pressure were found to have around a 50% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Prof Kazem Rahimi, deputy director of the George Institute for Global Health UK at Oxford, which carried out the study, said: “This is potentially a game changer in the understanding and treatment of diabetes.
In an effort to further verify their findings, researchers retroactively went through additional research done prior, establishing up to a 70% increased risk.
“People with elevated [blood pressure] are at increased risk of diabetes. The strength of the association declined with increasing body mass index and age. Further research should determine if the observed risk is modifiable,” the researchers concluded.
Experts behind the study said more research was needed to see whether using drugs to lower blood pressure would help prevent people developing type 2 diabetes. This change in treatment could revolutionize how diabetes is treated.
Preventing either condition requires similar actions. Maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular exercise, stopping smoking, and eating a healthy diet all reduce the odds of acquiring either deadly condition.
