Diuretics and diabetes

A study has found that diuretics are as effective as ACE-inhibitors and calcium channel blockers in reducing risk of a heart attack and congestive cardiac failure in diabetics. Diabetes is fast becoming a growing problem amongst Americans, particularly those over 55 and is largely underdiagnosed. Diabetes causes a reduced life expectancy through cardiovascular complications and a decreased quality of life by slowly attacking the 'end organs' of the body, i.e the eyes, kidneys, and nerves, leading to blindness, dialysis and amputation. Complications include cardiac disease, stroke, eye problems, peripheral vascular disease, peripheral neuropathy and kidney failure, which contribute to the 213,000 annual attributed deaths. Prolonged hypertension also leads to heart failure, which is easily treated with antihypertensives, of which diuretics are as useful and are less expensive than other drugs. ACE-inhibitors have long been correlated with reducing kidney disease progression in diabetic patients and are incorporated as an antihypertensive drug regime for a person with diabetes.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Senior Journal.com

Related Disease Topics:

• Heart attack
• Congestive cardiac failure
• Heart failure
• Diabetes
• Cardiac disease
• Blindness
• Eye problems
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Kidney failure
• Hypertension

Related Symptom Topics:

• Blindness

Article Source Details

About: Diuretics and diabetes

Date: 29 June 2005

Source: Senior Journal.com

URL: http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Health/5-06-29DiureticsEffective.htm

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Surgery
• Surgery and amputation
• Surgery and diabetes
• Surgery and peripheral neuropathy
• Surgery and peripheral vascular disease
• Cause of heart attack
• Cause of congestive cardiac failure
• Cause of heart failure
• Cause of cardiac disease
• Cause of blindness
• Cause of eye problems
• Cause of peripheral vascular disease
• Cause of peripheral neuropathy
• Cause of kidney failure
• Cause of high blood pressure
• Cause of hypertension
• Underdiagnosed
• Underdiagnosed and diabetes
• Underdiagnosed and hypertension
• Underdiagnosed and sugar intolerance
• Underdiagnosed and insulin insensitivity
• Medication
• Medication and diabetes
• Medication and high blood pressure
• Medication and hypertension
• Medication and diuretics
• Medication and ACE-inhibitors
• Medication and calcium channel blocker
• Medication and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors

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