High blood pressure link to diabetes: You could be 60 per cent MORE likely to get disease

Diabetes risk in high blood pressure

PEOPLE with high blood pressure are at a significantly greater risk of diabetes, a study has found.

 

An Oxford University team describes their research, which provides the strongest link yet between the two conditions, as a “game changer” in the way doctors treat the debilitating blood condition.

Researchers found that a person with high blood pressure was at almost 60 per cent higher risk of diabetes than normal.

Although this link has been accepted before, the study involving more than four million people is expected to offer significant new understanding.

The team believe their findings could boost the case for tackling the diabetes threat by prescribing drugs to lower blood pressure.

The study, by Oxford’s George Institute for Global Health UK, is published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Institute deputy director Professor Kazem Rahimi said: “This is potentially a game changer in the understanding and treatment of diabetes. It affects more than 400 million people worldwide and we know that diabetics are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks, stroke and heart failure.”

 

A woman has her blood pressure measured

Prof Rahimi said: “We can’t say for certain that one causes the other.

“But this study helps to connect the dots, showing that if you have high blood pressure there is a significantly greater chance of developing diabetes. Understanding the link will help us better communicate risks to patients. And it can provide another motivation for patients and doctors to aim for blood pressure control.”

Prof Rahimi said his team set out to cut through “earlier conflicting and inconclusive reports”.

They wanted to develop “new insights and strategies for treating and reducing the chances of developing diabetes”. During the study the health records of 4.1 million adults who were free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease were examined.

With every rise in blood pressure of 20mm, there was a 58 per cent higher risk of developing diabetes.

 

With every rise in blood pressure increases your risk

Every 10mm increase on the scale was followed by a 52 per cent higher risk in the chance of developing the condition. The team also found that higher blood pressure was linked to a greater chance of developing diabetes in different demographic groups.

They found the trend repeated in men and women, people in the 30-50 age group and those in the 71-90 category. The link was maintained if patients were of normal weight, overweight or obese.

Prof Rahimi added: “At a minimum we know for certain that the link exists – but is high blood pressure a cause of diabetes or just a risk factor? We still don’t know.”

 

The disease is caused by excess glucose in the blood.

Diabetes UK was cautious over the Oxford team’s findings last night.

Dr Richard Elliott, the charity’s spokesman, said: “The best way to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight.”