Captopril in treatment of hypertensive diabetic patients. Preliminary study.

This investigation was performed in 15 adult patients: 6 with type I and 9 with type II diabetes mellitus, all with arterial hypertension. Captopril (12.5 to 100 mg daily, mean 34 mg) was administered for a month and was effective as monotherapy in all patients. The supine arterial pressure changed from: 177 +/- 19 mm Hg to 141.7 +/- 7.7 mm Hg systolic and 106 +/- 7.6 mm Hg to 87.3 +/- 5.3 mm Hg diastolic; and upright: from 162.7 +/- 16 mm Hg to 139 +/- 11.4 mm Hg systolic and from 101.7 +/- 11.6 mm Hg to 87.3 +/- 6.5 mm Hg diastolic. The differences were statistically significant (p less than 0.001). The mean blood glucose was changed significantly at the end of the study (from 11.1 +/- 3.4 mmol.l-1 to 8.1 +/- 1.0 mumol.l-1, p less than 0.001), while the daily insulin dose (respectively glybenclamide) remained unchanged. No alterations in serum creatinine, HbA1 (glycohemoglobin), urinary excretion rate of albumin, beta 2-microglobulin, glomerular filtration rate were observed during follow-up. No important change in plasma aldosterone was found, while plasma renin activity was significantly increased (p less than 0.05) as expected. No side effects were reported during the therapy. Captopril appears to be an effective and safe drug for lowering blood pressure in diabetic patients without affecting renal function.