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The DIabetic Retinopathy Candesartan Trials (DIRECT) Programme, rationale and study design

Nish Chaturvedi

International Centre for Circulatory Health & Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College at St Marys, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, UK, n.chaturvedi@ ic.ac.uk

The DIabetic Retinopathy Candesartan Trials (DIRECT) Programme consists of three randomised, double-masked, parallel, placebo-controlled studies to determine the impact of treatment with candesartan on diabetic retinopathy. In Type 1 diabetes, 1,700 patients without retinopathy will be randomised into a primary prevention study, and 1,200 with non-proliferative retinopathy into a secondary prevention study. In Type 2 diabetes, 1,600 patients with non-proliferative retinopathy will be randomised. Patients will be followed for at least three years. Eligible patients must be normotensive (systolic blood pressure [SBP] 130 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] 85 mmHg) without antihypertensive medication in Type 1 diabetes, and either normotensive or treated hypertensive (SBP 160 mmHg and SBP 90 mmHg) and not taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or AT₁receptor blockers in Type 2 diabetes. All patients will be normoalbuminuric, based on two overnight urine collections. The primary endpoint is based upon retinal photographs, graded to the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale. A two-step increase on this scale defines incidence, and a three-step increase defines progression of retinopathy. The main secondary endpoint for each study is change in urinary albumin excretion rate. A positive outcome of the DIRECT Programme would be an important step forward in the clinical management of patients with diabetes.

Key Words: diabetes • diabetic retinopathy • diabetic nephropathy • angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker • candesartan

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Journal of Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, Vol. 3, No. 4, 255-261 (2002)
DOI: 10.3317/jraas.2002.047


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Chaturvedi, N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chaturvedi, N. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?