The acute and chronic effects of cilazapril on cardiac function in hypertensive patients

The effect of cilazapril, 2.5 to 5.0 mg on systolic and diastolic cardiac function was studied by echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculography, in 15 hypertensive patients. The measurements were made before and 3 hours after the first dose, and after 10 weeks of treatment. Cilazapril lowered the elevated blood pressure and did not affect the normal ejection fraction. An improvement in indices of diastolic function was observed after the first dose. The normalized peak filling rate significantly increased from 2.4 +/- 0.7 to 2.7 +/- 0.7 counts and time to peak filling rate was shortened from 169.4 +/- 31.0 to 151.6 +/- 40.1 msec. This improvement was sustained or even enhanced during chronic therapy. Long-term treatment with cilazapril, caused regression of left ventricular hypertrophy.

cilazapril improves diastolic cardiac function in hypertensive patients. The beneficial effect may be partially related to regression of left ventricular hypertrophy.