Warning over blood pressure medication

The Government will warn doctors against prescribing one of the most common treatments for high blood pressure amid evidence that it is linked to the onset of diabetes.

The combination of thiazide diuretics and a beta blocker - as given to up to two million Britons for high blood pressure - carries a 20 per cent higher risk of developing diabetes than other treatment.

New research for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence concluded that if most family doctors were aware of the dangers of the drug combination, they would be unwilling to prescribe it.

The two drugs should only be taken together where absolutely necessary, the report warned. For some patients, however, including those who suffer bad reactions to other drugs, the benefits of the treatment still outweigh the risks.

Researcher Professor James Mason said the "small but significant risk" of diabetes had only emerged because the study had pooled data from more than 70,000 patients.