Rosiglitazone Reduces Microalbuminuria and Blood Pressure

The investigators concluded that, when added to metformin, rosiglitazone provided greater improvements in microalbuminuria and blood pressure than glyburide in patients with type 2 diabetes, independently of its effects on glycemic control. A group of investigators led by Dr George Bakris of Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, USA, compared the effects of rosiglitazone plus metformin with those of glyburide plus metformin on microalbuminuria and blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes. A total of 389 patients with comparable levels of glycaemic control were randomized to rosiglitazone/metformin or glyburide/metformin and followed for 32 weeks.

The investigators found that the creatinine ratio was significantly reduced from baseline with rosiglitazone/metformin (-22.7%; p<0.01), but not with glyburide/metformin (-7.1%; p=0.32); the difference between treatment groups was significant (-19.5%; p=0.03). Mean 24-hour systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressures were reduced by 3.4mmHg (p=0.01) and 2.5mmHg, (p<0.01), respectively, in patients in the rosiglitazone/metformin group, compared with the glyburide/metformin group. Patients treated with rosiglitazone/metformin had lower levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 antigen, C-reactive protein, von Willebrand factor, and fibrinogen, compared with those treated with glyburide/metformin.

Journal of Hypertension 2006;24:2047-55

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FACT:
Physician Resistance Hinders Diabetics Use of Cutting Edge Technology: Diabetic patients who use newer technologies such as insulin pumps and blood glucose monitoring devices are better able to manage their disease and adhere to treatment regimens, yet researchers have found that the newer methods are not being widely used because physicians may be reluctant to prescribe them, and even patients who are using them may not be deriving their full benefits.