SUMMARY The increased frequency of hypertension in diabetes and of abnormalities of carbohydrate metabolism in hypertension are now well established. It is conceivable that the high coincidence of the two diseases is based on a common metabolic defect. Studies of platelets permit the evaluation of the stimulatory, phospholnositol-linked and the inhibitory, cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphatedependent pathways of cell activation. Furthermore, platelets may be relevant for the development of angiopathy through their contents of growth factors. Abnormalities of platelet aggregation have been demonstrated in hypertension and diabetes. They are accompanied by exaggerated stimulation of adenylate cyclase in hypertension and abnormal activity of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase in diabetes. Defective function of platelets is also observed in patients and animals when the two diseases are present at the same time. Both increased and decreased aggregation have been described in these two diseases in the literature. The apparent discrepancies may be due to different types of platelet preparation, evaluation of aggregation, evolution of defect with age, and form of the disease. Integrated studies of biochemical mechanisms responsible for cell activation are needed to characterize the exact defect present in diabetes and hypertension in platelets. As in other countries, hypertension in Canada is present in about 50% of diabetics and the rate of occurrence of diabetes is high among hypertensives (Table 1). In our own clinics at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal and Hotel-Dieu Hospital, we have noted that 43% of diabetics have increased blood pressure and 31% of hypertensives have abnormal blood glucose levels.
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