Comparison of effects of olmesartan and telmisartan on blood pressure and metabolic parameters in Japanese early-stage type-2 diabetics with hypertension

Angiotensin II type-1 receptor blockers (ARBs) are regarded as first-line treatments for type-2 diabetes with hypertension. Despite the availability of various types of ARBs, there are no comparative studies of their effects on patients with diabetes. In this open-label prospective crossover study, we compared the effects of olmesartan (20 mg/day) and telmisartan (40 mg/day). Twenty Japanese early-stage type-2 diabetes patients with hypertension treated with valsartan (80 mg/day) for at least 8 weeks were recruited to this study. At study entry, valsartan was changed to olmesartan (20 mg/day) or telmisartan (40 mg/day) and administered for 8 weeks. The drugs were then switched and treatment was continued for another 8 weeks. We analyzed the blood pressure lowering effects of each drug by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at 0, 8, and 16 weeks. Simultaneously, we measured metabolic parameters and inflammation markers. Olmesartan lowered mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure more significantly than did telmisartan. While there were no differences between the groups in metabolic parameters, including HbA1c and adiponectin, the decreases in serum interleukin-6 and highly sensitive C-reactive protein were more significant by olmesartan treatment. Our results indicate that olmesartan has more potent arterial blood pressure lowering and anti-inflammatory effects than telmisartan.