For what conditions are ACE inhibitors used?
ACE inhibitors are used for
controlling acute and chronic high blood pressure,
treating left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure,
preventing strokes, and
preventing and treating kidney disease (nephropathy) in people with hypertension or diabetes.
ACE inhibitors also improve survival after heart attacks. In studies, individuals with hypertension, heart failure, or prior heart attacks who were treated with an ACE inhibitor lived longer than patients who did not take an ACE inhibitor.
ACE inhibitors are an important group of drugs because they prevent early death resulting from hypertension, heart failure or heart attacks.
Some individuals with hypertension do not respond sufficiently to ACE inhibitors alone. In these cases, other drugs often are used in combination with ACE inhibitors.
Are there any differences among the different types of ACE inhibitors?
ACE inhibitors are very similar. However, they differ in how they are eliminated from the body and their doses. Some ACE inhibitors remain in the body longer than others, and are given once a day. Some ACE inhibitors need to be converted into an active form in the body before they work. In addition, some ACE inhibitors may work more on ACE that is found in tissues than on ACE that is present in the blood. The importance of this difference or whether one ACE inhibitor is better than another has not been determined.
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