Antihypertensive therapy in diabetic patients. The use of indapamide.

Abnormalities in glucose tolerance in nondiabetic patients and rapid alteration in non-insulin-dependent diabetics have been reported with antihypertensive drugs such as beta-blockers or thiazide diuretics. Such deleterious effects on a cardiovascular risk factor could limit the long-term benefit of an antihypertensive treatment. Indapamide is a nonthiazide antihypertensive agent that appears to respect the glucose tolerance in hypertensive patients. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of indapamide 2.5 mg in 10 hypertensive non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients treated for a one-year period. Glucose tolerance was evaluated using a 50-g oral glucose test, with measurements of plasma glucose and insulin before and after treatment. At the end of the one-year treatment, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly reduced, whereas there was no significant alteration in either plasma glucose or plasma insulin levels. Thus, indapamide appears as an effective antihypertensive agent in the diabetic patient, with no adverse effects on the glucose tolerance.