Endocrine Abstracts

Aim:
To study hypertension in diabetics and non-diabetics, it's degree of control and the type of antihypertensive agents used.
Method:
The study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Hypertensive patients being followed at the medical outpatient clinic from February 2001 to February 2002 were studied. They were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of diabetes. The following data were recoded; age, sex, nationality, duration of hypertension and diabetes, antihypertensive agents used and mortality. Patients were classified according to the degree of systolic and diastolic blood pressure control into 4- groups; systolic group-1 <120 mmHg, systolic group-2 121-130 mmHg, systolic group-3 131-140mmHg, systolic group-4 >140mmHg, and diastolic group-1 <80mmHg, diastolic group-2 81-85mmHg, diastolic group-3 86-90mmHg, diastolic group-4 >90mmHg.
Results:
A total of 304 patients were included, 154 (51%) were diabetics with mean age of 63 years for diabetics and 59 years for non-diabetics (p 0.2). The mean duration of hypertension was 7 years for the diabetic group and 6.5 for the non-diabetics (p 0.3) In the diabetics 2% were in systolic group-1, 12% group-2, 41% group-3, 44% group-4 versus 2%,14%,33%,51% in the non-diabetics. While for diastolic blood pressure it was 3%,13%,40%,43% for diabetics versus 3%,15%,33%,49% non-diabetics. ACE-inh. were used more by the diabetic group 109/154 (71%) of diabetics versus 85(57%) non-diabetics (p<0.001). β-blockers and calcium channel blockers used less, 18/154 (11%) versus 51/150(34%) and 42/154 versus 54/150 (36%) (p <0.001, 0.08 respectively)and there was no difference in diuretics use, 67/154 (43%) versus 60/150(40%) (p 0.5)
Conclusion:
Blood pressure is poorly controlled in both hypertensive diabetic and non-diabetic. ACE-inh. and diuretics were the antihypertensive agents used more frequently by both groups.