[J-MIND study: effect of nifedipine on renal function in Japanese hypertensive patients with diabetes mellitus].

The usefulness of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors has been established in hypertensive patients with diabetes mellitus. However, Ca2+ channel antagonists have not been rigorously evaluated in this population. The randomised J-MIND (Japan Multicenter Investigation of Antihypertensive Treatment for Nephropathy in Diabetics) study conducted in Japanese hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, compared the effects of twice-daily nifedipine and ACE inhibitors on the progression of diabetic nephropathy. The investigators found that nifedipine had a renoprotective effect similar to ACE inhibitors and there was no difference in the rate of progression from normoalbuminuria to microalbuminuria between treatment groups. Similarly, there was no difference in the incidence of cardiovascular events between the treatment groups. These data indicate that long-acting nifedipine can be used for renoprotective effect in hypertensive patients with diabetes mellitus.