Health Hints 7 People With Diabetes Urged To Keep Their Blood Pressure In Check (NAPS)—If you are one of the trolled, the NKF recommendsthat patients switch to a single pill for- 15 million Americans with diabetes, make sure that you monitor mulation of an ACE inhibitor/CCB or ACE inhibitor/diuretic to contain costs and reduce the amount your blood pressure as closely as you watch your blood sugar. This advice comes from the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), which recently urged physicians to treat of medication patients must take diabetics with high blood pressure more aggressively. If left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart attacks, strokes and kidneyfailure, which kills approximately 58,000 people each year. blood pressure in diabetics be that blood pressure in people with diabetes be no higher than 130/80—a level lower than the previous standard of 130/85, recommendedby the federal govern- The NKF suggests that physicians start patients on an ACE The recommendations suggest ment in 1997. The majority of patients will need a combination of two or more medications to reach this new goal. Physicians usually treat mild to moderate high blood pressure by urging patients to stop smok- ing, exercise and/or change their diets. However, because of the additional stresses placed on the body by diabetes, the federal government recommends that high treated with both drug and nondrug therapy. inhibitor—a commontype of med- ication that prevents blood vessels from constricting so that blood flows more easily. However, since recent research indicates that most patients will need more than one drug to treat their high blood pressure, the NKF recommends that physicians prescribe agents such as diuretics (water pills) or each day. Managing high blood pressure and diabetes requires a lifelong partnership between doctor and patient—both must work together to determine the best course of treatment. Although this may vary from patient to patient, it is clear that prompt and aggressive treatment of both conditions is essential. The National Kidney Foun- dation is a major voluntary health organization, seeking to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases, and increase the availability of all organs for transplantation. To learn more about diabetes, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), another drug that prevents the high blood pressure and kidney Once blood pressure is con- at 800-622-9010 or visit their Website at www.kidney.org. arteries from contracting, along with the ACE inhibitor. disease, please contact the NKF
