Comparison of the effects of three angiotensin II receptor type 1 blockers on metabolic parameters in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ObjectiveIn a previous study involving 18 hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, we found that replacement of valsartan and candesartan by telmisartan significantly improved insulin sensitivity and significantly increased serum adiponectin levels in the patients. We investigated the effects of 3 angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs)—telmisartan, candesartan, and valsartan—on metabolic parameters in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsA total of 308 hypertensive patients with diabetes were enrolled in our multicentre, randomized, open-label study. The patients received 40 mg telmisartan, 8 mg candesartan, or 80 mg valsartan for 3 months, and the data of 227 patients (telmisartan: n = 74, candesartan: n = 79, and valsartan: n = 74) were analysed.ResultsThe systolic and diastolic blood pressures significantly decreased in all the groups at the end of the study; the decrease was comparable among the 3 groups. The changes in fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, adiponectin, free fatty acids, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were comparable between the 3 groups. Telmisartan and candesartan administration tended to lower urinary albumin excretion.ConclusionsLow dose telmisartan had a neutral effect on metabolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes; the effect produced by 40 mg telmisartan was comparable with that of 8 mg candesartan and 80 mg valsartan. Failure to detect metabolic differences among the various ARB treatments could have been due to the low statistical power of the study design.