Diabetes mellitus as comorbidity is present in 20–25% of patients suffering from high blood pressure. Because simultaneous presence of these two diseases results in a significant increase of cardiovascular risk, various guidelines focus greatly on the anti-hyperintensive treatment of patients with diabetes. Combined drug therapy is usually required to achieve the blood pressure target value of <140/85 mmHg defined for patients with diabetes, which must be based on angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. These can be/must be combined with low dose, primarily thiazid-like diuretics, calcium channel blockers with neutral metabolic effect, and further options include the addition of beta blockers, imidazolin-l-receptor antagonists, or alpha-1-adrenoreceptor blockers. Evidence-based guidelines are obviously present in local practice. Although most of the patients receive angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitor+indapamid or angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitor+calcium channel blocker combined therapy with favorable metabolic effects, yet the use of angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors containing hidrochlorotiazide having diabetogenic potencial, and angiotensin receptor blocker fixed combinations is still widespread. Similarly, interesting therapeutic practice can be observed with the use of less differentiated beta blockers, where the 3rd generation carvediolol and nebivolol are still in minority. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(43), 1695–1700.
Polypharmacy in chronic heart failure: practical issues regarding the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers and other drugs
