Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
02 October 2015 08:08
Research shows high blood pressure ups the risk of diabetes
The risk of developing diabetes is much greater among people with high blood pressure, a new study has found.
Researchers at Oxford University studied data from more than four million people, finding that those with raised blood pressure are nearly 60% likelier to develop the disease than those with normal levels.
And they are now calling for more research to be carried out to assess whether blood pressure-lowering medications could be used as a tool to prevent cases of Type 2 diabetes.
Around the world, diabetes affects over 400 million people, with diabetics - who can cover themselves while on holiday with a diabetes travel insurance policy - having a raised risk of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes.
At the beginning of the research, everyone whose data was studied was free of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
But those who had high blood pressure had a close to 60% greater risk of getting diabetes than those who did not.
The link was found in both men and women, among people of different ages and in those whose weight was normal, as well as those who were overweight or obese.
Professor Kazem Rahimi, deputy director of Oxford University's George Institute for Global Health UK, says the study's findings could be a "game changer" when it comes to treating and understanding diabetes.
The expert says that with the research showing that people with high blood pressure have a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes, it should provide patients and doctors with an even greater motivation for bringing it under control.
Professor Rahimi says although the link has now been established, it is still not known whether high blood pressure actually causes diabetes or is just a risk factor.
But he says the study has paved the way for researchers to look at whether the risk of developing diabetes could be cut by lowering patients' blood pressure.
The team's study has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
19 October 2018
Pregnant women who suffer from pre-eclampsia have a greater risk of developing dementia, new research suggests.
[more...]
18 October 2018
The UK's average life expectancy is predicted to increase from 80.8 years to 83.3 years over the next 20 years, according to new research.
17 October 2018
Family doctors are being urged to prescribe physical activity for patients living with some of the most common medical conditions.
16 October 2018
Patients with brain tumours lose out on almost £15,000 per year, a new report has revealed.
13 October 2018
Chris Grayling has given his "categorial assurance" to Parliament that a no-deal Brexit will not ground flights in and out of the UK, despite recent warnings from experts that this remains a possibility.
12 October 2018
The rising cost of fuel could force more airlines out of business, the boss of easyJet has warned.
11 October 2018
The image of the boozy backpacker might be a thing of the past as a new study suggests more and more youngsters are shunning alcohol completely.
10 October 2018
The NHS says just one in 10 drinks sold in English hospitals will be sugar-sweetened, as part of its bid to curb rising obesity levels.
09 October 2018
More than 260,000 diabetes patients were put at risk of lasting harm or even death during hospital stays last year due to medication errors, a new report has revealed.
06 October 2018
NHS patients with a specific type of lymphoma will soon be able to access a "game-changing" new treatment, health officials have revealed.
05 October 2018
People living with diabetes are being warned they might be "unwittingly" storing their insulin incorrectly.
04 October 2018
The world's first commercial jet part-powered by a new form of biofuel touches down in London on Wednesday (3rd October).