Cardioprotection and ACE inhibitors.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are established treatments for hypertension and heart failure.
• Their efficacy in blood pressure reduction is comparable to other antihypertensive agents.
• Combined with diuretics, ACE inhibitors show potential to revolutionize chronic heart failure management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of ACE inhibitors in reducing myocardial infarction rates and their consequences.
• To determine if ACE inhibitors prolong survival in patients with chronic heart failure and post-myocardial infarction.

Main Methods:

• Review of current clinical practices and ongoing major clinical trials (e.g., V-HeFT II, SOLVD, CONSENSUS II, SAVE, AIRE, GISSI III, ISIS IV).
• Analysis of pharmacological profiles of available ACE inhibitors.

Main Results:

• ACE inhibitors are effective in lowering blood pressure and managing chronic heart failure symptoms.
• Evidence is accumulating on their potential to reduce mortality in heart failure and post-myocardial infarction settings.

Conclusions:

• ACE inhibitors are valuable tools in managing hypertension and heart failure.
• Further results from ongoing trials are anticipated to clarify their role in reducing cardiovascular mortality.
• Physicians can select from various ACE inhibitors with distinct pharmacological profiles.