Association between hypertension and microvascular and macrovascular complications among patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

Background Hypertension frequently coexists with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and may contribute to the development of diabetic complications. Objective This study aimed to assess the association between hypertension and microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study based on a review of medical records, including 500 patients with T2D followed in the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology, and Nutrition. Patients were grouped according to the presence of hypertension, with 204 patients in the hypertension group and 296 patients in the non-hypertension group. Clinical, biological, and complication-related data were collected and analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results The mean age was 58.3 ± 12.8 years, and hypertension was present in 40.8% of cases. Poor glycemic control (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] >10%) was observed in 52.2%. Patients with hypertension had higher frequencies of several microvascular and macrovascular complications compared with patients without hypertension. Nephropathy was more frequent among patients with hypertension than among those without hypertension (32.8% vs. 14.2%; OR = 2.96, 95% CI: 1.91–4.58; p < 0.001). Higher grades of hypertension were significantly associated with peripheral arterial disease and cerebrovascular accident. Longer diabetes duration was associated with retinopathy, neuropathy, and cerebrovascular accident, whereas longer hypertension duration was significantly associated with peripheral arterial disease. Conclusions Hypertension is significantly associated with a higher prevalence of both microvascular and macrovascular complications in patients with T2D. These findings support the importance of early identification and integrated management of hypertension, glycemic control, and other cardiovascular risk factors to reduce the burden of diabetic complications.