Are There Effects of Renin–Angiotensin System Antagonists Beyond Blood Pressure Control?
December 19th, 2009 Posted by: admin
Publication year: 2010
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology, Volume 105, Issue 1, Supplement 1, 4 January 2010, Pages 21A-29A
George, Bakris
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are recognized to reduce cardiovascular and renal morbidity and mortality, which is primarily attributed to their antihypertensive effects. Activation of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) may also play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and renal disease through blood pressure–independent mechanisms mediated by angiotensin II. Thus, inhibiting the RAS with either an ARB or an ACE inhibitor may confer additional benefit in people with advanced nephropathy that cannot be explained totally by reductions in blood pressure. Preclinical evidence suggests that blood pressure lowering is not solely responsible for the organ…
