A Differing View of Treatment of Hypertension in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Publication of the report composed by The Working Group on Hypertension in Diabetes¹ comes at a propitious time, a time of rising concerns about the coexistence of the two diseases and increasing interest about newer therapies that may lessen their destructive impact. We believe that most of this report is factually correct and appropriately focused, so that it will have a major beneficial influence on clinical practice. The authors deserve our enthusiastic thanks. However, there are a few minor points and one more fundamental issue that we believe deserve, if not rebuttal, at least the presentation of a differing viewpoint. The minor points can be quickley covered; the fundamental issue as to the proper choices and sequences of antihypertensive drug therapy deserves more attention. In doing so, we iterate our general agreement with the substance of the report. MINOR POINTS In the fourth paragraph of the introduction, the sentence