ORIGINAL ARTICLE / RESEARCH Role of Atorvastatin in Anti-diabetes Management

The hyperinsulinaemic/insulin-resistant state is a metabolic condition linked to widespread and heterogeneous clinical syndromes like hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, atherosclerosis and coronary vascular disease. About 25 % of the non-diabetic population shows abnormalities of insulin sensitivity and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia. Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show 50 million Americans or more had hypertension. In world scenario, it approximates 1 billion individuals and 7.1 million deaths per year. India has 4 % of adult population at risk of hypertension. India is facing a diabetic explosion also. It has the world’s largest diabetic population – about 25 million, and the number is predicted to rise to 35 million by 2010 and to 57 million by 2025. The exact cause of the increase in prevalence of hyperinsulinaemic/insulin-resistant state is unknown, and both genetic and life style factors are being blamed. Beta-blockers (atenolol) and statins (atorvastatin) are widely used to combat hypertension and dyslipidaemia, particularly in obese patients who are also prone to diabetes and coronary artery disease. A 3-month study is done to compare the effects of atenolol with atenolol and atorvastatin in two groups of hypertensive volunteers. The study shows that statins improve the dyslipidaemic picture and also increases insulin sensitivity