For Type 2 diabetics, treatment with strong blood pressure medication may do more harm than good — raising the risk for cardiovascular death, according to a new study published in The British Medical Journal (BMJ).

The researchers — led by Mattias Brunström of the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University in Sweden — found that antihypertensive drugs may increase the risk of death for diabetes patients with systolic blood pressure readings under 140 mm/Hg.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans with diabetes have high blood pressure, which puts them at higher risk of stroke, heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.
But the new study suggests putting such individuals on medication to help lower blood pressure could put them at risk.

For the study, researchers analyzed 49 clinical trials  involving a total of 73,738 people that examined cardiovascular problems in people with diabetes who were receiving blood pressure-lowering medication.

The vast majority of participants had Type 2 diabetes.

The researchers found those with blood pressure readings higher than 140 mm/Hg had a lower risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and death than those with lower readings. The upshot: Lowering blood pressure to under 140 in diabetics may be harmful, possibly because of medication-related issues.

"Our study shows that intensive blood pressure-lowering treatment using antihypertensive drugs may be harmful for people with diabetes and a systolic blood pressure less than 140 mm/Hg," said Brunström.

"It has been discussed to recommend even lower blood pressure levels for people with diabetes — maybe as low as 130. We are hoping that our study, which shows potential risks of such aggressive blood pressure-lowering treatment, will come to influence these guidelines."