Blood Pressure is the pressure of the blood against the inner walls of the arteries
(for example, 120/70). The top number, or systolic blood pressure (SBP), reflects
the pressure in the arteries when the heart is pumping. The bottom number, or the
diastolic blood pressure (DBP), represents the arterial pressure when the heart is
resting. (Web Definition, 2006)
ACE-I are a group of drugs used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. ACE
inhibitors block a specific enzyme (ACE or angiotensin-converting enzyme) that
retains salt in the kidney and can cause heart and blood pressure problems. ACE
inhibitors have been shown to decrease the risk of dying from a heart attack
(Bryson, 2005).
ARB is an oral medicine that lowers blood pressure; ARB stands for angiotensin
(an-gee-oh-TEN-sin) receptor blocker (American Diabetes Association, 2006)
Proteinuria is defined as protein in the urine. As blood passes through healthy
kidneys, they filter the waste products out and leave in the things the body needs,
such as proteins. Most proteins are too big to pass through the kidneys' filters into
the urine, unless the kidneys are damaged. The two proteins that are most likely to
appear in urine are albumin and globulin (Wrong Diagnosis, 2006).
HbA1C is a test that measures the amount of glycosylated hemoglobin in your
blood. The test gives a good estimate of how well diabetes is being managed over
time. It can detect non-compliancy even with a normal fasting glucose (University
of California – San Francisco, 2006)