High blood pressure linked with onset of diabetes

Data from 4.1 million patients in the UK found that high blood pressure was indepdendently associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes.

A study, using data on 4.1 million GP-registered patients in the UK, has shown that blood pressure is associated with the risk of diabetes. In the image, a man checks his blood pressure

Research into the relationship between high blood pressure and the development of diabetes has so far given conflicting results. 

Now a study, using data on 4.1 million GP-registered patients in the UK, has shown that blood pressure is independently associated with the risk of newly onset diabetes. 

The researchers from the University of Oxford found that every 20mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure was associated with a 58% increase in the risk of the disease, and every 10mmHg increase in diastolic pressure was associated with a 52% increase in risk. 

In the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2015;66(14):1552–1562)[1]
, the authors say that chronic inflammation could mediate the relationship between the two conditions and, if it is indeed causal, strategies to reduce high blood pressure could consequently decrease diabetes incidence.

References

[1] Emdin CA, Anderson SG, Woodward M et al. Usual blood pressure and risk of new-onset diabetes. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2015;66(14):1552–1562. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2015.07.059.

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, High blood pressure linked with onset of diabetes;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2015.20069462

You may also be interested in