Source: DGNews  |  Posted 9 years ago

By Thomas S. May
Special to DG News

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- September 4, 2002 -- Quinapril and losartan -- alone or in combination with each other -- appear to effectively reduce the symptoms of diabetic autonomic neuropathy and improve left ventricular function.

The findings were presented here September 3rd at the 38th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy and heart failure are major complications of diabetes mellitus, contributing to overall morbidity and mortality, explained lead author Dr. Triantafillos Didangelos, of Aristotelian University, in Thessaloniki, Greece.

His team investigated the effects of three regimens on diabetic autonomic neuropathy and diastolic left ventricular dysfunction -- the regimens were quinapril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; losartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker; and a combination of both drugs.

They enrolled 33 women and 23 men with diabetic autonomic neuropathy, 22 of them with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Patients were 51.7