ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Objective: Introduction: Chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension (HTN) are associated with microvascular and macrovascular complications that significantly impact patients’ quality of life and survival. This study aimed to analyze the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of a hospital cohort, investigating the presence of complications associated with T2DM and changes in antihypertensive therapy following hospitalization. Objectives: Characterize the hospital population in terms of age, sex, and T2DM prevalence. Identify the presence of microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with T2DM. Analyze changes in the use of antihypertensive medications before and after hospitalization. Design and method: This was a continuous, retrospective, observational study involving patients from a specialized Internal Medicine III team between January 2022 and October 2024. Results: The cohort study included 379 patients, of whom 53.3% were women, with a median age of 76.99 years (minimum age: 23 years; maximum age: 100 years). Among these patients, 35.32% had T2DM, with 74% presenting one microvascular complication (LOA), 18% two LOAs, and 8% more than two LOAs. The LOAs identified were nephropathy (60.87%), diabetic retinopathy (30.43%), and polyneuropathy (8.7%). Regarding macrovascular complications, 30% of patients experienced an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and 70% had a stroke (CVA). In the cohort, 82.6% had HTN. Before hospitalization, 21% of hypertensive patients were untreated, 65.45% used one antihypertensive drug, 33.16% used two, and 1.39% more than two. Antihypertensive drug distribution was as follows: ACE inhibitors (30.87%), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) (23.04%), calcium channel blockers (24.42%), diuretics (15.67%), beta-blockers (5.52%), and adrenergic agonists (0.48%). After hospitalization, 100% of patients were prescribed antihypertensive medications: 92.25% used one drug, 6% two, and 1.75% more than two. Post-hospitalization distribution was: calcium channel blockers (53.66%), ACE inhibitors (32.97%), ARBs (4.47%), diuretics (3.9%), beta-blockers (3.9%), and adrenergic agonists (1.1%). Conclusions: The results highlight that a significant proportion of patients with T2DM present with microvascular and macrovascular complications, with nephropathy being the most prevalent. These findings underscore the importance of proper hypertension management and control of T2DM complications to improve clinical outcomes.