Strict Blood Sugar Control May Reduce Risk of High Blood

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Individuals with type I diabetes seem to be less likely to develop hypertension, or high blood pressure, if they maintain tight blood sugar control for an extended period of time, according to an article published in a recent issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Diabetics are more likely than the general population to have high blood pressure. Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle looked at the effects of hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, and intensive insulin treatment on the development of hypertension in diabetic participants of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT). They found that diabetics who received intensive insulin therapy involving at least 3 insulin injections per day or an insulin pump had a 24% reduction in the risk of developing hypertension compared to diabetics who received conventional insulin treatment; however, this difference in risk was only observed in the long term.

The results of this study suggest that high blood sugar contributes to the development of high blood pressure in diabetics, and the protective effect of intensive insulin therapy on blood pressure occurs over a relatively long period of time in people with type 1 diabetes.