Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Disclaimer
Right arrow Request Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Borer, J. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Borer, J. S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The European Society of Cardiology 2007. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition: a landmark advance in treatment for cardiovascular diseases

Jeffrey S. Borer

Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 47 East 88th Street, New York, NY 10128-1151, USA

Corresponding author. Tel: +1 212 746 4646; fax: +1 212 426 4353. E-mail address: canadad45{at}aol.com

Angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) were first introduced into clinical practice for the relief of hypertension (HT) more than a quarter of a century ago. Since that time, as the basic pathobiology of cardiovascular (CV) diseases has been increasingly understood, new applications for ACE inhibitors have been developed. Indeed, through their action on the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) and their local actions, ACE inhibitors have substantially improved the prognosis of patients with diseases over the entire continuum of CV disease, including HT, stable coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction (MI), and heart failure (HF), and have been applied specifically to prevent stroke, although also preventing diabetes and delaying or reducing renal dysfunction. The strength of available clinical data is such that guidelines developed for cardiologists by professional societies now recommend the use of ACE inhibitors for the management of HT, coronary and atherosclerotic vascular disease, MI, and HF. Newer ACE inhibitors with pharmacological profiles differing from those of older agents have added to the ease of application and relative safety of these drugs both for reduction of symptoms and for improvement of outcomes. Although other agents modulating RAS can provide some overlapping pharmacological effects and important clinical benefits, ACE inhibitors remain unique in the range of their proven benefits, justifying their central role in the armamentarium of the CV specialist.

Key Words: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition • Cardiovascular disease • Renin–angiotensin system


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Eur Heart J SupplHome page
M. Tendera
Introduction
Eur. Heart J. Suppl., September 1, 2007; 9(suppl_E): E1 - E1.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.