News - Hypertension Week of July 27, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 30

Study: Acarbose Cuts Hypertension Risk for Those With Impaired Glucose Tolerance

People with impaired glucose tolerance have less chance of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease when treated with the alpha-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose, according to a study reported in the July 23 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Acarbose slows the action of certain digestive chemicals, which helps keep blood glucose from rising very high after meals. An international team of researchers evaluated the effect of decreasing high blood glucose levels after meals with acarbose in patients with impaired glucose tolerance.

Their study involved 1,368 such patients in various countries from July 1998 through August 2001. The study participants received either a placebo or 100 milligrams of acarbose three times a day.

Of the patients receiving acarbose, 11 percent developed hypertension, compared to 17 percent of those taking a placebo. Fifteen of the acarbose patients had at least one cardiovascular event -- fewer than half of the 32 who had cardiovascular events in the placebo group.

Decreasing high blood glucose levels after meals with acarbose was associated with a 49 percent risk reduction in the development of cardiovascular events. Acarbose was also associated with a 34 percent risk reduction in the incidence of new cases of hypertension.

Other sources: Journal of the American Medical Association 2003;290:486-494