'Sartan' improves blood flow in diabetic kidneys

Treatment with the blood pressure drug Benicar not only reduces blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes but also improves kidney perfusion, according to a report by German researchers.

Benicar, a.k.a. olmesartan, belongs to a class of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers. The findings show that with their dual effect, these 'sartan' drugs offer "complete prevention of hemodynamically mediated damage to the diabetic kidney," Dr. Danilo Fliser from Medical School Hannover told AMN Health.

Fliser and colleagues examined the effect of 12 weeks of treatment with olmesartan in 35 patients with type 2 diabetes.

Blood pressure fell significantly with olmesartan treatment, the investigators report in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, but did not change significantly in patients who were given an inactive placebo.

Olmesartan treatment also improved blood flow through the kidneys. A reduction in certain biomarkers in the patients treated with olmesartan suggests that ongoing treatment may prevent kidney damage not only by direct blood-flow effects but also by reducing inflammation, the team reports.

Fliser added, "Our findings support the routine use" of sartans for diabetic patients with high blood pressure and/or kidney complications.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, April 2005.