[Prolonged treatment of hypertension in diabetic patients with enalapril. 1-year follow-up].

: In view of the pharmacological and chemical reasons for using ACE-inhibitors to treat diabetic hypertension, a group of 40 outpatients were treated with Enalapril. The sample consisted of 20 outpatients, 6 males, 14 females aged 48-76 (mean age 63.75), 18 of whom had type II and 2 type I diabetes and 11 under treatment by diet and hypoglycaemic drugs or insulin. All these patients presented slight or moderate essential arterial hypertension (diastolic pressure less than 115 mmHg). For about one year 17 of the patients were given 20 mg/die Enalapril and the remaining three 10 mg/die in a single morning dose. In 16 cases no other treatment was given. In 4 a non-potassium conserving diuretic was also given. Check-ups before six months into and at the end of treatment showed: a statistically significant reduction in systolic (p less than 0.05) and diastolic (p less than 0.01) pressure. In contrast no significant change was noted in heart beat, glycaemia before or after meals, body weight, glycosylated haemoglobin or any other blood chemical parameter considered. In one case only there was a slight increase in proteinuria that was however present at the start of treatment. As far as side effects are concerned there was one case of cardiac palmus during treatment and one case of coughing that regressed totally when treatment was suspended but nothing else of significance. It should be noted that the antidiabetic treatment remained unchanged throughout the period considered in most cases and at most was subjected to minimal qualitative and quantitative adjustments.