When inquiring “how can hypertension cause diabetes”, the answers you may get are not easily understood. High blood pressure is a risk factor in the development of diabetes and also can play a role in making many diabetic complications worse. But more often, diabetes leads to hypertension, so instead of asking “can hypertension cause diabetes”, it would probably more appropriate to reverse the question and ask if diabetes causes hypertension. Nevertheless, the two conditions are closely related and occur together so often they are officially considered to be “comorbidities”. This means they are likely to be seen together in the same patient.

 

How Are They Related?

 

Hypertension and diabetes share many of the same traits, and the effects of one disease make the other one worse. Can hypertension cause diabetes? Sure it can. But diabetes can cause hypertension just as easily, and it is sometimes difficult to know which one is causing the other. Here is what they have in common:

  • Increase in fluid volume – diabetes will raise the total fluid volume in the body. More fluid tends to increase the blood pressure
  • Increase in the stiffness of the arteries – diabetes decreases the blood vessel’s ability to stretch, which will increase the blood pressure
  • Impaired Insulin handling – the way the body changes how it produces and handles insulin in diabetics can directly impact the blood pressure.

 

How Can Hypertension Cause Diabetes through Shared Risk Factors?

 

One condition so often causes the other because the risk factors for both diabetes and high-blood pressure (or hypertension) are almost identical. In addition, some biological and inherited traits are also shared by the two conditions. Some of the more important shared risk factors are:

  • Body weight – Obesity is probably the most commonly seen shared risk factor. Being overweight greatly increases the risk of both diabetes and hypertension
  • Diet and nutrition – Diets that are high in fat and sodium are risk factors for both conditions. Processed foods as too much of the daily diet are also a risk factor. Processed sugars and sodium also increase the likelihood of organ damage that ends up contributing to both conditions.
  • Exercise and activity level – A sedentary lifestyle makes insulin less effective, which in turn can lead to diabetes. Low activity levels also make the blood vessels stiffer, contributing to hypertension.

 

Trying to mitigate these risk factors can significantly reduce the likelihood of both hypertension and diabetes. And most of the preventative measures suggested to control both conditions focus on the above three risk factors to a large degree.

 

Can Hypertension Cause Diabetes Complications to Get Worse?

 

In all cases the answer is a resounding yes. So take all necessary precautions to control hypertension if you already have diabetes. About 5% of type 1 diabetics develop hypertension within the first ten years. This means they will likely need to manage it for many years. A third of Type one diabetics will get hypertension within 20 years, and by age 40, over 70% will have high blood pressure.

In type 2 diabetics, 35% or more also have hypertension. And the complications go up dramatically for the diabetics with hypertension. For example, 75% of type 2 diabetics with kidney problems also have hypertension. And type 2 diabetics without kidney problems only have hypertension at a rate of 40%. All the complications associated with type 2 diabetes show similar increase in severity with accompanying hypertension.