Diabetes and Hypertension: A Comparative Review of Current Guidelines

<jats:p>Cardiovascular disease plays a major role in the morbidity and mortality of patients with diabetes mellitus. In turn, hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and its prevalence is increased in diabetes mellitus. Therefore, the detection and management of elevated blood pressure (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BP</jats:styled-content>) is a critical component of the comprehensive clinical management of diabetics. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of hypertension, there continues to be debate regarding the pharmacologic treatment of hypertension, especially in high‐risk groups such as in patients with diabetes mellitus with and without chronic kidney disease (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CKD</jats:styled-content>). This debate largely involves at what <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BP</jats:styled-content> (ie, treatment threshold <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BP</jats:styled-content>) to initiate pharmacologic antihypertensive therapy and subsequently what treatment target <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BP</jats:styled-content> should be achieved (ie, goal <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BP</jats:styled-content>). Presently, there are several guidelines that address hypertension in diabetes mellitus, including the recently released guideline from the Eighth Report of the <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">J</jats:styled-content>oint <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">N</jats:styled-content>ational <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">C</jats:styled-content>ommittee (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">JNC</jats:styled-content> 8). Therefore, this review will compare and contrast these current guidelines, as they relate to the management and treatment of hypertension in diabetes mellitus. Since diabetes mellitus and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CKD</jats:styled-content> are significantly inter‐related, the presence of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CKD</jats:styled-content> as it relates to patients with diabetes mellitus will also be addressed.</jats:p>