Progressive improvement in the structure of resistance arteries of hypertensive patients after 2 years of treatment with an angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor. Comparison with effects of a beta-blocker

Am J Hypertens. 1995 Mar;8(3):229-36. doi: 10.1016/0895-7061(95)96211-2.

Abstract

To investigate the effects of antihypertensive drugs on resistance artery structure, 17 essential hypertensive patients were randomly assigned to be treated with an angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor, cilazapril, or a beta-blocker, atenolol, for 2 years. Blood pressure was well controlled throughout the 2 years. Before starting treatment, at the end of the first year and at the end of the second year, patients were subjected to gluteal subcutaneous fat biopsies, from which resistance-size arteries were dissected to be studied. The media width to lumen diameter ratio of arteries from patients in the cilazapril group was 7.5 +/- 0.3% before starting treatment, and decreased significantly (P < .05) to 6.3 +/- 0.2% at the end of the first year, and to 5.8 +/- 0.2% at the end of the second year, at which time it was not different from that of arteries from normotensive subjects (5.2 +/- 0.2%). In patients treated with atenolol, resistance arteries exhibited a media-to-lumen ratio of 8.0 +/- 0.6% before treatment, 8.1 +/- 0.5% after 1 year of treatment, and 7.9 +/- 0.3% at the end of the second year of treatment, all significantly higher (P < .01) than that of arteries from normotensive subjects. Thus, treatment for 2 years with the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor cilazapril resulted in progressive normalization of the structure (media-to-lumen ratio) of gluteal subcutaneous fat resistance arteries of essential hypertensive patients, whereas there was no change in patients treated with the beta-blocker atenolol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / therapeutic use*
  • Adult
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Arteries / pathology*
  • Atenolol / therapeutic use
  • Blood Pressure / drug effects
  • Cilazapril / therapeutic use
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / drug therapy*
  • Hypertension / pathology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Vascular Resistance / drug effects

Substances

  • Adrenergic beta-Antagonists
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Cilazapril
  • Atenolol