Treatment of hypertension with lisinopril in end-stage renal failure

Lisinopril (L), a novel angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, was studied as sole drug in the management of hypertensive, dialysis-treated, end-stage renal failure patients to assess its efficiency, tolerance, and removal by dialysis. High blood pressure (BP) was defined as sitting diastolic (D) BP greater than or equal to 95 mm Hg. Ten patients, two females and eight males, were treated for 12 weeks. Their features were age 49 +/- 14 years; dialysis duration 43 +/- 25 months; body weight 61 +/- 10 kg; and body mass index 21.7 +/- 3 (mean +/- SD). Serum L concentrations were measured regularly by radioimmunoassay, both before and after dialysis, which was performed with Cuprophane membranes three times per week. L, 2.5 mg orally, was given every 24 h initially; in six patients, dosage was decreased to an alternate or once-a-week schedule, because of a hypotensive effect during dialysis. At 12 weeks, BP--as compared to prestudy BP--was decreased in eight of nine patients (one patient had been withdrawn after kidney transplantation), and not changed in one patient (mean +/- SD): sitting DBP from 107 +/- 7 to 87 +/- 10 mm Hg, p less than 0.001; erect DBP from 105 +/- 5 to 86 +/- 10 mm Hg, p less than 0.001. L serum concentration was decreased by dialysis, the mean ratio of post-/predialysis serum L concentrations was 0.47 +/- 0.07 (n = 67). No side effects were disclosed, except for three patients, in whom hemoglobin decreased, while two of them also received quinine for a febrile illness of viral origin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)