Although guidelines recommend strict blood pressure (BP) control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and elevated cardiovascular risk, the long-term effects of this approach are unknown. We investigated the effect of intensive BP control on clinical outcomes in patients with T2DM over 9 years of follow-up. We included Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes - Blood Pressure participants in the standard glucose control arm who had established cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, were ≥75 years of age or who had a 10-year coronary heart risk ≥15%. Participants were randomized to either intensive (systolic BP < 120 mm Hg) or standard (systolic BP < 140 mm Hg) BP control for an average of 5 years. Observational follow-up occurred for an average of 4 years thereafter. After an average total follow-up of 9 years, intensive BP control reduced the composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and nonfatal stroke by 25% (hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.95; P = .02). The overall benefit was driven by a reduction in nonfatal myocardial infarction (P = .01). In this post-hoc analysis, the benefits of a fixed-duration intensive BP control intervention in patients with T2DM persisted throughout 9 years of follow-up.
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.