Endocrine Abstracts

Hypertension is a common feature of patients with type 2 diabetes, and contributes to the markedly increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with the diabetic state. Both hypertension and type 2 diabetes are features of the Insulin Resistance Syndrome. Susceptibility genes for the development of the Insulin Resistance Syndrome could contribute to the close association between hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Support for this concept comes from the identification of ...

A number of factors including hyperglycaemia, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and oxidative stress contribute to the development of vascular disease in diabetes, the chief cause of the increased morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. Within the vessel wall impairment of endothelial and smooth muscle responses both contribute to functional abnormalities such as reduced vasodilation and it has been shown that hypertension and diabetes have additive effects on vascular...

The last ten years of research and clinical trials has emphasised the association between diabetes and hypertension. In type II diabetes >70% have associated hypertension according to criteria of >140/80 mmHg. In the majority of patients no secondary cause will be elicited, but recent data have described a higher prevalence of secondary causes in hypertensive patients than previously suspected. A review of secondary causes (hyperparathyropdism, Cushing's, phaeochromacytoma, ac...