Hypertension and Diabetes a Deadly Combination
Having both hypertension and type 2 diabetes greatly increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other causes, a recent study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from 48,727 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, including 38.4% who had hypertension, 2.4% who had type 2 diabetes and 8.7% who had both conditions. During a 9.2-year follow-up period, 7,734 of the study participants died. Compared with those who had neither hypertension nor type 2 diabetes, the participants with both conditions were nearly 2½ times more likely to die from any cause and nearly three times as likely to die from CVD, with stronger associations in women versus men, the study found. Having both conditions, versus having either one alone, was associated with a 66% greater risk of death from any cause and more than double the risk of CVD-related death. Also, having both elevated blood pressure and prediabetes was associated with a 19% greater death risk, compared with having neither or either condition, the study authors wrote (Diabetes Care, July 1, 2025).
