Hypertension is a frequent complication in diabetes, and microalbuminuria has become an essential index of cardiovascular prognosis in type 2 diabetics. The pilot study reported here shows that rilmenidine, in addition to its antihypertensive action and good clinical tolerability, has the further advantage of reducing microalbuminuria, similar to captopril. Am J Hypertens 2000;13:123S-126S (C) 2000 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.