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A transitional new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found a surprising link between high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. The research was administered by The George Institute for Global Health with additional support from Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, National Institute for Health Research and Career Development Fellowship, as well as Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
Researchers sought to discover the association between usual blood pressure and risk of diabetes in a cohort of 4.1 million adults who did not have previous diabetes or cardiovascular disease. The team concluded that, “Among the overall cohort, 20 mm Hg higher systolic blood pressure and 10 mm Hg higher diastolic blood pressure were associated with a 58% and a 52% higher risk of new-onset diabetes.”
Professor Kazem Rahimi, study author and Deputy Director of the George Institute for Global Health UK, which is based at the Oxford Martin School, explained the implications of the findings, “This is potentially a game changer in the understanding and treatment of diabetes. There were similar results in this section of the research, in comparison to previous studies on the topic, with a 77% higher chance of getting diabetes for every 20 mm increase of mercury in systolic blood pressure. Previous smaller studies have varied significantly or even found no link, but now we have something clear to go on.”
He added that the results indicate a reliable association linking high blood pressure to diabetes that brings new hope for the development of successful treatment strategies toward a reduction in the onset of diabetes.
Although the relationship between high blood pressure and fatal heart disease is well documented, the connecting link to diabetes was not previously established. This historically positive breakthrough could help effectively treat the more than 400 million people that have diabetes — which puts them at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart attack.
Those interested in learning more about the relationship between diabetes and high blood pressure should visit http://vascuvite.com/uncategorized/blood-pressure-diabetes.
Release ID: 93021