Effects of the Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitor Alogliptin on Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

BACKGROUND The effects of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors on blood pressure in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are controversial. There is no information on the effect of DPP-4 inhibitors on blood pressure and arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients with DM. We evaluated the effects of alogliptin on blood pressure and arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS Blood pressure and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured before and after 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment with alogliptin in 22 hypertensive patients with T2DM. RESULTS After 3, 6, and 12 months, alogliptin treatment decreased hemoglobin A1c from 7.0 +/- 0.97% to 6.4 +/- 0.61%, 6.3 +/- 0.58%, and 6.3 +/- 0.75% (P < 0.01, respectively), glucose from 8.6 +/- 4.39 mmol/l to 7.05 +/- 2.16, 7.05 +/- 2.28, and 6.44 +/- 1.50 mmol/l (P < 0.01, respectively), systolic blood pressure from 137 +/- 18 mm Hg to 127 +/- 13, 125 +/- 15, and 120 +/- 17 mm Hg (P < 0.01, respectively), diastolic blood pressure from 79 +/- 13 mm Hg to 74 +/- 8, 74 +/- 10, and 70 +/- 8 mm Hg (P < 0.01, respectively) and baPWV from 1,947 +/- 349 cm/second to 1,774 +/- 259, 1,856 +/- 361, and 1,756 +/- 286 cm/second (P < 0.01, respectively). A baseline baPWV value of 1,643 cm/second was the optimal cut-off value for patients who had reduced blood pressure after treatment with alogliptin (sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 75.0%). CONCLUSIONS Alogliptin was associated with improvements not only in glucose metabolism but also in blood pressure and arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients with T2DM. The cut-off value of baPWV may enable identification of responders of decrease in blood pressure by alogliptin in hypertensive patients with T2DM.