Combined treatment reduces kidney disease risk in diabetes
A combination of two blood pressure lowering treatments has significantly reduced the risk of kidney disease among patients with type 2 diabetes.
The findings, reported by the Australian based George Institute for International Health, reveal that blood pressure lowering is beneficial to all patients with diabetes, even for patients with normal blood pressure levels.
“Our research demonstrated that lowering blood pressure with an ACE inhibitor/diuretic combination reduces the risk of kidney complications by 20%, and even resolves some early manifestations of kidney disease in people with diabetes, regardless of whether their blood pressure is normal or elevated,” said co-author, Dr Vlado Perkovic, from the George Institute.
The key findings of the paper, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, shows that this treatment has wide benefits for all patients with type 2 diabetes.
“For all people with diabetes, reducing their risk of kidney disease is imperative. Individuals who develop kidney disease are at significantly increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications, which is the major cause of death in these patients,” added Dr Perkovic.
