The effects of antihypertensive drug therapies on blood glucose levels in maturity onset diabetes patients on oral hypoglycaemic drugs: The case of selected health centres in Lesotho

Abstract

Background: Antihypertensive drugs may cause changes in blood glucose levels. The concurrent use of these medications with hypoglycaemic drugs in diabetic patients may contribute to inadequate control of blood glucose levels. Objectives: To describe the effects of prescribed antihypertensive agents on fasting blood glucose levels of non-insulin dependent diabetic patients on treatment with oral hypoglycaemic medications. Method: Descriptive data on fasting blood glucose levels of diabetic patients on hypoglycaemic and antihypertensive drug treatments were collected retrospectively for a six-month period. Data sources were medical records of patients attending diabetic clinics in five health centres in the Maseru Health Service A rea of Lesotho. There cords were categorised in to two basic patient groups, namely, patient groups treated with only oral hypoglycaemic agents and patient groups treated with same agents concurrent with Anti-hypertensive agents. Differences in the means of the initial and end of six-months Period fasting blood glucose levels of patient treatment groups were determined and compared. Results: Patients who received an anti-diabetic drug regime concurrent with antihypertensive medication tended to show improved fasting blood glucose levels at six months, whereas patients receiving only anti diabetic drugs did not show improvement. Partly owing to the small sample size (178patients), the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Hydrochlorothiazide prescribed singly or in combination with other antihypertensive drugs was implicated in increased blood glucose levels. Captopril showed better glycaemic control for patients on oral hypoglycaemic agents. Atenolol and nifedipine appeared not to have any effects on patients’ fasting blood glucose levels. A prospective case-control study would help clarify these findings in this study’s population.