Mechanism of hypertension in diabetic nephropathy

Abstract

High prevalence of hypertension is observed in diabetic patients of both the types. Diabetic nephropathy is one of the major reason for high morbidity, mortality and financial burden in such hypertensive diabetic patients. For this review, electronic databases including PubMed/Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Google scholar were searched from 1990-2013. Multiple inter-related factors are responsible for the development of hypertension and therefore nephropathy in the chronic diabetic patients. Majority of such factors are identified to lead to extensive sodium reabsorption and peripheral vasoconstriction and thus leading to microvascular complications like nephropathy. Management of hypertension by targeting such mediators is the highly recommended therapy for controlling and treating diabetic nephropathy. Clinical trials suggests that drugs inhibiting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone pathway should be used as the first-line agents for the management of hypertensive diabetic nephropathy patients. These agents are effective in slowing the progression of the end-stage kidney disease as well as lowering albuminuria. Researchers are also investigating the effectiveness of drug combination for better management of hypertension and diabetic nephropathy. The present article is a review of the evidences which explains the underlying pathological changes which leads to the development of nephropathy in a hypertensive diabetic patients. The review also observes the clinical trials for different anti-hypertensive drugs which are recommended for the treatment of such patients.

Keywords: Hypertension, Diabetic nephropathy, Albuminuria