Family history of hypertension could accelerate type 2 diabetes development

Having a family history of hypertension could be associated with an accelerated onset of type 2 diabetes, according to new research.
Scientists from Japan found that a family history of hypertension meant people with more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years earlier than those without a family history.
“Subjects with a family history of hypertension should be informed of their personal risk at an early age accompanied by information on preventive health behaviours to reduce their chances of ever developing type 2 diabetes,” said the researchers.
In this retrospective study 1,299 patients were examined, all of whom had type 2 diabetes, with the age of diagnosis assessed in each participant.
A total of 702 participants had a family history of hypertension; 597 did not.
Those with the family history of hypertension were younger, on average, at the time of their type 2 diabetes diagnosis. These findings existed independent of family history of diabetes.
While body mass index (BMI) was generally higher among those with a family history of hypertensio, BMI at the age of 20 did not significantly differ between groups.
The researchers added that it was three independent variables that affected patients most at the time of their diabetes diagnosis: family histories of hypertension and diabetes and patient gender, with males more likely to have diabetes.
Therefore, they believe that clinicians should ensure people with a family history of hypertension are more closely monitored for type 2 diabetes risk factors.
The study team added, though, that a limitation of their findings was that they could not compare the incidence of diabetes among adults with or without a family history of hypertension.
The study appears online in Endocrine Journal.