Action of irbesartan on blood pressure and glucose/lipid metabolism, in hemodialysis patients with hypertension

BACKGROUND Irbesartan has been reported to have beneficial effects on glucose/lipid metabolism in addition to an antihypertensive effect; however, such effects have not been clarified in hemodialysis (HD) patients. We investigated the effects of irbesartan on blood pressure (BP) as well as glucose/lipid metabolism, in HD patients with hypertension. METHODS Seventeen HD patients with hypertension, aged 62.7 ± 12.5 years, were treated with daily oral administration of 50 to 100 mg of irbesartan for 12 weeks. Then, the changes of BP as well as glucose metabolism (random serum glucose level and serum glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c] level) and lipid metabolism (serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-chol] level, serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-chol] level, and serum triglyceride [TG] level) were evaluated. RESULTS Irbesartan significantly reduced systolic BP (154.9 ± 12.8 to 139.4 ± 13.1 mmHg (P < 0.01) and diastolic BP (78.9 ± 9.1 to 72.2 ± 9.7 mmHg, P < 0.01). It also reduced LDL-chol (77.6 ± 19.1 to 72.0 ± 18.6 mg/dL, P < 0.05), whereas it did not significantly affect random serum glucose (129.3 ± 46.9 mg/dL to 130.6 ± 47.2 mg/dL), HbA1c (5.58% ± 1.41% to 5.49% ± 1.11%), TG (104.3 ± 65.8 mg/dL to 100.2 ± 59.9 mg/dL), or HDL-chol (44.8 ± 17.1 mg/dL to 45.7 ± 15.6 mg/dL). CONCLUSION Irbesartan is effective for BP control and may have beneficial effects on lipid metabolism in HD patients.