BP Drugs Might Actually Cause Diabetes

In what could be termed as a significant discovery, a recent research in UK has revealed that some of the most popular drugs prescribed for hypertension may actually increase the risk of diabetes.

The class of medicines in question here are called beta blockers. These include drugs called atenolol, inderal and metaprolol.

It has been found that these drugs can increase the level of blood sugar in patients suffering from diabetes. In other cases it can become a reason for the onset of the disease among patients of high BP.

The latest research carried out at National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, actually puts forward the baseline predictors of new-onset diabetes in hypertensive patients.

The study took into account 19,257 hypertensive patients. These people were randomly assigned to receive one of the two anti hypertensive regimens using beta blockers. It was found that 14,120 were at the risk of developing diabetes at baseline. On the other hand, 1,366 people, i.e. 9.7% subsequently developed NOD during median follow-up of 5.5 years.

Beta blockers are basically used for managing cardiacdefine arrhythmias and cardio protection after a heart attack. They were used extensively for the treatment of hypertension. But somehow their role was downgraded in June 2006 in the United Kingdom because they showed an unacceptable risk of provoking type 2 diabetesdefine. But later on December 18, 2007 the beta blocker named Bystolic was approved by the FDA for the treatment of hypertension.

Dr. Anoop Mishra, director and head (diabetes and metabolic diseases) Fortis Hospitals said, “In patients with hypertension, beta blocker drugs are no longer frontline therapy. These drugs may not only increase blood sugar levels in those who don't have diabetes, but may worsen sugar control in those with diabetes and also blunt warning symptoms when low sugar occurs."

But Dr. Mishra didn’t deny the fact that these drugs are still useful for patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension with associated heart disease. He added that the latest beta blockers may have some advantages over the previous generation drugs.

As of now, the doctors have started reducing the use of beta blockers among patients affected by diabetes and high blood pressure.