Clonidine in patients with diabetes and mild hypertension

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Abstract
Clonidine adversely affects glucose tolerance in experimental animals and normal man. Its short- and long-term effects were assessed in 10 patients with both mild hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Patients were studied before and 10 wk after treatment with 0.1 mg clonidine twice daily, which induced reductions in blood pressure (from 148 .+-. 5/93 .+-. 2 mm Hg sitting, to 125 .+-. 4/80 .+-. 2) and control of hypertension in all patients. Clonidine increased the glycemic response to i.v. glucose (incremental glucose AUC [area under the concentration-time curve] from 161 .+-. 13 to 184 .+-. 14) but did not significantly change long-term diabetic control as assessed by weekly fasting serum glucose, glycosylated Hb, and 24 h urinary glucose excretions before and after treatment. Low dose clonidine evidently controlled blood pressure and impaired the response to an acute glucose challenge in mildly hypertensive, type II diabetic patients but did not adversely affect diabetic control over 10 wk.