The relationship between obesity, plasma immunoreactive insulin concentration and blood pressure in newly diagnosed Indian type 2 diabetic patients.

The association of blood pressure with clinical and biochemical measures was studied in 185 newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients, 74 impaired-glucose-tolerant (IGT) and 128 non-diabetic control subjects. Hyperglycaemic subjects were older than control subjects (controls 40 (24-59) years, IGT 48 (29-64) years, diabetic 43 (29-60) years, median (5th-95th centile) both p < 0.05). They were also more obese (body mass index (BMI) controls 23.5 kg m-2 (17.2-29.9), IGT 26.0 kg m-2 (19.8-33.9), diabetic 24.2 kg m-2 (19.3-32.2)) and with a greater waist-hip ratio (controls 0.83 (0.70-0.98), IGT 0.88 (0.75-0.98), diabetic 0.89 (0.75-1.00)). Blood pressure was significantly higher in both IGT (systolic 127 mmHg (108-162), diastolic 84 mmHg (66-99)) and diabetic patients (systolic 130 mmHg (104-160), diastolic 84 mmHg (66-102)) compared to non-diabetic controls (systolic 120 mmHg (100-151), diastolic 80 mmHg (60-94)). Univariate analysis showed that in diabetic patients systolic blood pressure was related to age (r = 0.17, p < 0.05), BMI (r = 0.23, p < 0.01) and plasma immunoreactive insulin (fasting and post glucose, r = approximately 0.25, p < 0.01) but not to C-peptide concentrations; diastolic blood pressure to BMI (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), waist-hip ratio (r = 0.23, p < 0.01) and plasma immunoreactive insulin (fasting r = 0.30, p < 0.001, post glucose r = approximately 0.20, p < 0.05) but not to C-peptide concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)