
June 30, 2007
Other Medications
Question from Ohio, USA:
Should a young adult with type 1 diabetes be on ACE inhibitors as a precaution even if there is no kidney disease present?
Answer:
There is some theoretical research that suggests that ACE inhibitors provide some kidney protection against intermittent hyperglycemia. The same goes for statins such as Lipitor. However, we and most others do not “automatically” add such expensive medications without either microalbuminuria and/or hypertension to be treated, high risk family history and/or documented high LDL and total cholesterol levels. You should discuss this in more detail with your diabetes team since they will know your specific situation more thoroughly.
SB