AIM: Recent US recommendations indicate a target blood pressure (BP) of 130/80mmHg for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Our aim was to characterize the association between risk of cardiovascular events and differences in BP decreases in randomized trials of a T2D population. METHODS: A systematic search was made for randomized clinical trials assessing the effects of antihypertensive treatments in T2D patients on mortality, and fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, using a meta-regression technique to explore the influence of BP decreases on treatment effects. RESULTS: A total of 88,503 patients from 44 randomized trials were included. There was no significant association between BP decreases and risk of all-cause or cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular events or myocardial infarction. However, stroke risk was influenced by BP decreases: compared with no reduction, a 10-mmHg reduction in systolic BP was associated with a relative odds ratio (OR) decrease of 33% (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.54-0.82), and a 5-mmHg diastolic BP reduction was associated with a relative OR decrease of 38% (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.50-0.76). Restricting the analysis to double-blind studies did not change the results for diastolic BP. CONCLUSION: A reduction in BP lowers the risk of stroke, but does not appear to affect the risk of other cardiovascular events in a T2D population.