George L. Bakris, MD

The Hypertensive Diseases Unit

The Hypertensive Diseases Unit, housed in the Diabetes Center at the University of Chicago, focuses on management of cardio-renal risk factors in people with diabetes, both Types 1 and 2. The Unit has a dedicated Hypertension Fellow that spends time doing both clinical research and is involved in patient care. Patient care time is dedicated exclusively to patients with diabetes and kidney disease who have difficult-to-manage blood pressure and/or progressive worsening of kidney function.

Current research in this Unit involves clinical trials that evaluate the effects of statins (cholesterol lowering drugs) on inflammatory markers in people with Metabolic Syndrome and impaired glucose tolerance. Yet other studies involve the effects of active 1, 25 vitamin D on urinary protein excretion and blood pressure in people Stage 3 nephropathy. Additionally, a number of collaborative projects are ongoing with the Cardiology section. Two key projects involving our collaboration with Cardiology are: 1) Evaluation of the effects a new antihypertensive agent that increases nitric oxide (a naturally occurring vasodilating factor produced by the vessel) in central arterial pressure in older patients with Type 2 diabetes. These changes will be evaluated over the course of a year and they will be compared to conventional blood pressure lowering treatment. This study will start in late summer of 2007. An additional study with Cardiology involves the use of home monitoring of cholesterol and blood pressure in the improvement of control rates.