FED: Blood pressure medications cut kidney disease risk

AAP General News (Australia)
02-19-2009
FED: Blood pressure medications cut kidney disease risk

By Danny Rose, Medical Writer

SYDNEY, Feb 19 AAP - Diabetics can cut their risk of suffering potentially fatal kidney
complications by one fifth by taking two drugs to lower their blood pressure.

Australian researchers have found people with type 2 diabetes who used two anti-hypertensive
medications together had lower levels of kidney disease, and it could even repair earlier
kidney damage.

"Our research demonstrated that lowering blood pressure with an ACE inhibitor (and
a) diuretic ... reduces the risk of kidney complications by 20 per cent," says Dr Vlado
Perkovic, of The George Institute for International Health.

"And (it) even resolves some early manifestations of kidney disease in people with
diabetes, regardless of whether their blood pressure is normal or elevated."

The finding is important because more than half of all those with the condition go
on to suffer kidney impairment, and 20 per cent will then die of renal failure.

An estimated 250 million people are living with diabetes around the world.

The George Institute, based in Sydney, designed the study and it involved a group of
independent medical researchers from 20 countries worldwide.

It took in 11,140 patients with type 2 diabetes who were treated and followed up for five years.

One group took the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor perindopril and the
diuretic drug indapamide while another group, who instead took a placebo, showed no drop
in kidney disease.

"For all people with diabetes, reducing their risk of kidney disease is imperative,"

Dr Perkovic also says.

"Individuals who develop kidney disease are at significantly increased risk of developing
cardiovascular complications, which is the major cause of death in these patients," Dr
Perkovic.

The research is published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

AAP dr/ss

KEYWORD: DIABETIC

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