Chief Hypertension Unit， Hospital 12 de Octubre， Madrid 28041， Spain.

Type 2 diabetes is increasing globally and is a major cause of conditions such as cardiovascular disease， retinopathy and nephropathy. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial and the UK Prospective Diabetes Study demonstrated that the progression of renal disease could be slowed by tight glycaemic control and treating any associated hypertension with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition. Recent clinical trials have supported the use of angiotensin II receptor antagonists in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy， resulting in the approval of new therapeutic indications in the United States and Europe. The objective of this review is to demonstrate how results from the Program for Irbesartan Mortality and morbidity Evaluation studies apply to clinical practice， and to show how the benefits of irbesartan therapy can be realised at any stage of renal disease in patients with diabetes.