F. Zanettielshater et al., CALCIUM-ANTAGONISTS FOR TREATMENT OF DIABETES-ASSOCIATED HYPERTENSION- METABOLIC AND RENAL EFFECTS OF AMLODIPINE, American journal of hypertension, 7(1), 1994, pp. 36-45
In hypertensive diabetics a strict blood pressure control may decrease
the incidence of cardiovascular and diabetic complications. Long-term
experience with the use of calcium antagonists is still limited. The
metabolic and renal effects of longterm (8 months) therapy with amlodi
pine, 5 to 10 mg daily, were studied in 15 hypertensive patients with
uncomplicated diabetes mellitus as compared with 15 patients with esse
ntial hypertension. After a 4 week placebo phase, the diabetics and es
sential hypertensive patients did not differ in mean blood pressure (1
56/93 +/- 16/7 v 150/95 +/- 9/5 mm Hg), body weight, creatinine cleara
nce, microalbumin excretion, and C-peptide and lipid levels, while ser
um fructosamine was higher in the diabetics. In both groups, amlodipin
e caused a significant and long-lasting decrease of arterial pressure
(8%), but did not modify creatinine clearance, microalbumin excretion,
and serum lipid levels. In diabetics indices of diabetic control and
the insulin and glucose response to an oral glucose tolerance test wer
e unchanged, whereas in essential hypertension the insulin response to
a glucose load was decreased (P =.033). Amlodipine exerts a comparabl
e and long-lasting antihypertensive effect in hypertensive diabetics a
nd patients with essential hypertension. Despite the significant decre
ase in arterial pressure, there was no change in urinary microalbumin
excretion. Lipid metabolism, quality of diabetic control, and the insu
lin response to a glucose load were not affected unfavorably.