ABSTRACT
Introduction It is well established that reduction in arterial pressure and good glycemic control are two prime factors responsible for reducing the incidence of both cardiovascular events and renal disease progression among patients with diabetes.1-3 Results of clinical trials, such as the Diabetes Control and Complication Trial (DCCT), and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) have helped define the level of blood glucose needed to avoid systemic complications of diabetes.4,5 Likewise, the UKPDS, the Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) and the Appropriate Blood Pressure Control in Diabetes (ABCD) trials, randomised people with hypertension and type II diabetes to different levels of blood pressure control, and thus, helped solidify new guidelines for blood pressure reduction in such individuals.6-8 The recently published updates on the final outcomes of the Appropriate Control of Blood Pressure in type 2 Diabetes (ABCD) studies9,10 will further help clarify the optimal blood pressure goal for patients with hypertension and diabetes who are receiving antihypertensive therapy. These trials all demonstrated that those randomised to more intensive lowering of blood pressure (i.e. achieved diastolic pressure 81-82mmHg), had more marked reductions in cardiovascular events when compared with those randomised to more conventional blood pressure control
(i.e. diastolic pressures between 86 and 92mmHg).
