Hypertension with diabetes - hypertension is an important risk factor for the development and worsening of many complications of diabetes, including diabetic eye disease and kidney disease. It affects up to 60% of people with diabetes.Having diabetes increases your risk of developing high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, because diabetes adversely affects the arteries, predisposing them to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosis can cause high blood pressure, which if not treated, can lead to blood vessel damage, stroke, heart failure, heart attack, or kidney failure.

Lifestyle treatments to lower high blood pressure

Lose weight if you are overweight: Losing some excess weight can make a big difference. Blood pressure can fall by up to 2.5/1.5 mmHg for each excess kilogram which is lost. Losing excess weight has other health benefits too. Regular physical activity: If possible, aim to do some physical activity on five or more days of the week, for at least 30 minutes.Have a low salt intake: The amount of salt that we eat can have an effect on our blood pressure. Government guidelines recommend that we should have no more than 5-6 grams of salt per day.

Early Detection Cuts Risks:

Keeping track of blood pressure is important because people who have diabetes tend to have more trouble with high blood pressure than people who don’t have the disease. Having both diabetes and high blood pressure can pack a damaging one-two punch as far as increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and eye, kidney and nerve complications.
Older people with diabetes frequently have a different pattern of elevated blood pressure. The systolic (top number) blood pressure may rise to over 170 mmHg while the diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure may remain at less than 80 mmHg. This is caused by a stiffening of the blood vessels which makes the blood pressure rise to abnormally high levels when the heart beats. It is important to treat this condition (isolated systolic hypertension) aggressively because it is associated with a high risk of stroke and heart disease.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

Often, persons with high blood pressure do not have noticeable symptoms. If the blood pressure is greatly elevated, an individual may experience the following. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include: headache, dizziness, blurred vision.The symptoms of high blood pressure may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

Are there medicines that can help?

Many people need medicine to control high blood pressure. Two groups of medications called ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) lower blood pressure and have an added protective effect on the kidney in people with diabetes. Additional studies have shown that ACE inhibitors and ARBs also reduce proteinuria and slow the progression of kidney damage in people who do not have diabetes. You may need to take a combination of two or more blood pressure medicines to stay below 130/80. Your doctor may also prescribe a diuretic in addition to your ACE inhibitor or ARB. Diuretics are also called “water pills” because they help you urinate and get rid of excess fluid in your body

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