Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor

From Citizendium
Revision as of 01:29, 16 June 2008 by imported>Robert Badgett
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is a stub and thus not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (commonly ACE inhibitors) are a "class of drugs whose main indications are the treatment of hypertension and heart failure. They exert their hemodynamic effect mainly by inhibiting the renin-angiotensin system. They also modulate sympathetic nervous system activity and increase prostaglandin synthesis. They cause mainly vasodilation and mild natriuresis without affecting heart rate and contractility.[1]

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors also decrease the degradation of bradykinin as the enzyme kininase II is the same enzyme as angiotensin-converting enzyme.[2] This may contribute to some patients having a cough when taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. According to a clinical prediction rule, cough due to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors is more likely among patients who are "older age, female gender, non-African American (with East Asian having highest risk), no history of previous angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use, and history of cough due to another angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor".[3]

References