Cardiovascular disease plays a major role in the morbidity and mortality of patients with diabetes mellitus. In turn, hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and its prevalence is increased in diabetes mellitus. Therefore, the detection and management of elevated blood pressure (BP) is a critical component of the comprehensive clinical management of diabetics. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of hypertension, there continues to be debate regarding the pharmacologic treatment of hypertension, especially in high‐risk groups such as in patients with diabetes mellitus with and without chronic kidney disease (CKD). This debate largely involves at what BP (ie, treatment threshold BP) to initiate pharmacologic antihypertensive therapy and subsequently what treatment target BP should be achieved (ie, goal BP). Presently, there are several guidelines that address hypertension in diabetes mellitus, including the recently released guideline from the Eighth Report of the Joint National Committee (JNC 8). Therefore, this review will compare and contrast these current guidelines, as they relate to the management and treatment of hypertension in diabetes mellitus. Since diabetes mellitus and CKD are significantly inter‐related, the presence of CKD as it relates to patients with diabetes mellitus will also be addressed.
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although initial reports concentrated on severe respiratory illness, emerging literature has indicated a substantially elevated risk of thromboembolic events in patients with COVID-19 disease. Pro-inflammatory cytokine release has been linked to endothelial dysfunction and activation of coagulation pathways, as evident by elevated D-dimer levels and deranged coagulation parameters. Both macrovascular and microvascular thromboses have been described in observational cohort and post-mortem studies. Concurrently, preliminary data have suggested the role of therapeutic anticoagulation in preventing major thromboembolic complications in moderately but not critically ill patients. However, pending results from randomized controlled trials, clear guidance is lacking regarding the intensity and duration of anticoagulation in such patients. Herein, we review the existing evidence on incidence and pathophysiology of COVID-19 related thromboembolic complications and guide anticoagulation therapy based on current literature and societal consensus statements.
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