Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-kinin system influences on diabetic vasculardisease and cardiomyopathy

Diabetes mellitus is associated with an inordinately high risk of virtually all manifestations of cardiovascular-renal disease including atherosclerot ic coronary and peripheral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, stro ke, nephropathy, and cardiomyopathy unassociated with coronary heart diseas e. Abnormalities in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-kinin (RAAK) cascade have been implicated in the pathogenesis and clinical expression of these c ardiovascular-renal sequelae. Thus, pharmacologicaI modulation of the RAAK( system is an attractive therapeutic target in diabetes mellitus. Indeed, e merging data from human clinical studies appear to confirm this thesis.