
July 10, 2001
Complications
Question from Downs, Illinois, USA:
My 15 year old daughter, who has had diabetes since age 12, has developed hypertension. Her physician has placed her on an ACE inhibitor, and her blood pressure has came down nicely. Could the hypertension be due to kidney problems? Do ACE inhibitors really protect the kidneys?
Answer:
Hypertension after just a few short years of diabetes is very unlikely to be diabetes related. Whether or not there are kidney problems, would depend upon degree of hypertension plus other lab blood and urine testing. I would encourage looking for other causes of such hypertension before assuming that this is diabetes caused. Treatment may be the same, but long term outcome may be different if a different cause is suspected. Most importantly, keep the blood pressure in the low normal range. ACE inhibitor treatment is excellent.
SB
[Editor’s comment: See How to Protect your Kidneys at the Diabetes Monitor for some other thoughts.
WWQ]