Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of doxazosin, an alpha-1 adrenergic receptor blocker, on arterial distensibility in hypertensive patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

Methods: The study included 46 outpatients (31 females, 15 males; mean age 58.4±8.3 years; range 37 to 70 years) with type II diabetes mellitus and stage 1 or 2 hypertension according to the JNC 7 report. In addition to antidiabetic and antilipidemic drugs, the patients were given doxazosin 2 mg daily for eight weeks, during which measurements of blood pressure and pulse were made every two weeks. To regulate blood pressure, the dose of doxazosin was increased to 4 mg in the second week in three patients (6.5%), and in the fourth week in four patients (8.7%). Arterial distensibility was assessed by measuring carotidfemoral pulse wave velocity with an automatic device (Complior Colson, Createch Industrie, France).

Results: Compared to pretreatment values, significant decreases occurred at the end of eight weeks in the following parameters: systolic blood pressure (p<0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p=0.002), mean blood pressure (p<0.001), pulse pressure (p<0.001), heart rate (p<0.001), and pulse wave velocity (p=0.004). The only adverse effect was headache seen in four patients (8.7%).

Conclusion: Both blood pressures and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity decreased after doxazosin therapy. Being an indicator of increased arterial elasticity, decreased pulse wave velocity with doxazosin treatment shows that doxazosin is a good option in hypertensive patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

Keywords : Antihypertensive agents; aorta; blood pressure; carotid arteries; cholesterol; coronary disease; diabetes mellitus, type 2; diastole; doxazosin; hypertension; pulse