Approved research

The effect of blood pressure-lowering drugs and drug-drug interactions on the risk of type 2 diabetes

Lay summary

While hypertension is commonly seen in patients with diabetes, some studies have suggested that hypertension may also cause the development of diabetes. However, this suggestion remains inconclusive. Previous studies have examined the relation between elevated blood pressure (hypertension), and diabetes risk, but these investigations were limited by their scientific designs and scales of measurement. The other consideration is that the drugs used for treating hypertension (antihypertensive drugs) have also been linked to the onset of diabetes. It is unclear how these drugs may cause diabetes, and whether different classes of these drugs categorised by their distinct action pathways affect each other's impact on the onset of diabetes. In this application, we propose to make use of the genetic as well as other types of information from the UK Biobank to investigate the causes of atrial fibrillation. These analyses will be an important step in developing interventions to guide further research, practice and policy. We estimate that the project will be completed within 24 months after all data have been obtained.