High Systolic BP Tied to Higher Cardiovascular Mortality in T2DM

FRIDAY, Dec. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Clinic systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥130 mm Hg or diastolic BP levels ≥90 mm Hg are associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), according to a study published online Nov. 28 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Loraine Liping Seng, Ph.D., from the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, and colleagues investigated the association between BP and risk for CVD mortality in patients with T2DM. The analysis included 83,721 patients with T2DM (2013 to 2019).

The researchers found that among the patients, 7.6 per 1,000 person-years experienced CVD mortality. There was a graded relationship observed between systolic BP and increased CVD mortality at levels >120 to 129 mm Hg. There was a significant association between diastolic BP levels >90 mm Hg and CVD mortality in those aged 65 years and older. Diastolic BP <70 mm Hg was associated with a significantly higher risk for CVD mortality in all patients with T2DM.

"Our analysis underscores the need to control elevated systolic blood pressure to less than 130 mm Hg in patients with diabetes, while carefully evaluating risks if diastolic pressure gets too low," senior author Tazeen Jafar, also from Duke‐NUS Medical School, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text