Hypertension in diabetes mellitus.

Hypertension, commonly associated with diabetes mellitus, plays a major role in the severity and progression of diabetic complications. The frequency and impact of hypertension on the course of diabetic nephropathy, and the role of persistent microalbuminuria either as a predictor of future overt diabetic nephropathy or as a marker of incipient hypertension is reviewed. The special considerations for antihypertensive agents in diabetes as well as the rationale for early intervention using a "substitution" rather than "stepped-care" approach are discussed.