A study shows that a combination of diabetes/high blood pressure threatens more American lives. Adobe stock/HealthDay
Twice as many Americans now face the increased risk of death that comes from having both high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, a new study reports.
About 12% of the U.S. population had high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes at the same time in 2018, up from 6% in 1999, researchers reported recently in the journal Diabetes Care.
Having both conditions more than doubled the risk of dying from any cause and tripled the risk of death from heart disease, compared to those without either condition, researchers found.
"Even having co-existing prediabetes and elevated blood pressure was associated with up to 19% higher mortality risk, compared to having neither or either of these risk states," said senior researcher Nour Makarem, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
