By Kelly Young
MEDICAL NEWS | PHYSICIAN’S FIRST WATCH
December 11, 2013

Diuretics and statins are both associated with significantly increased risks for new-onset diabetes in patients with impaired glucose tolerance at high cardiovascular risk, according to a BMJ study.

Researchers reanalyzed data from a trial of 9300 patients with impaired glucose tolerance who started various cardiovascular drug treatments. After a median follow-up of 5 years, patients who began taking diuretics were at higher risk for developing diabetes than those who did not (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.23). New statin users were also at increased risk (HR, 1.32). Beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers did not pose a significantly higher risk for incident diabetes.

The researchers calculate that there is one case of new-onset diabetes for every 17 patients treated with diuretics over 5 years, and one case for every 12 treated with statins.

These results “suggest that glycemia should be better monitored when these drugs are initiated in high risk patients,” the researchers conclude.

Full Story:  http://www.jwatch.org/fw108247/2013/12/11/statins-diuretics-linked-increased-diabetes-risk-patients