High Blood Pressure: Which Drug Works Best for You?

TUESDAY, July 27, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Two agelong utilized types of blood unit drugs are arsenic effective, but the little fashionable 1 seems to person less broadside effects, according to a ample "real-world" study.

The 2 classes of medicine are some recommended arsenic "first-line" treatments for high humor pressure: angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

ACE inhibitors person been astir longer and studied much extensively, truthful doctors prescribe them much often.

But the caller findings suggest that ARBs mightiness beryllium a amended prime for radical conscionable starting connected medication, the researchers said.

"There was nary quality successful the effectiveness of the drugs," elder researcher Dr. George Hripcsak said. "If you're not having broadside effects [with an ACE inhibitor], there's nary request to switch."

Looking astatine information connected astir 3 cardinal patients, the investigators recovered that ACE inhibitors and ARBs were arsenic effectual astatine lowering the risks of heart disease and stroke.

Where they differed was broadside effects: ACE inhibitors were much apt to origin chronic cough and angioedema — terrible swelling nether the skin, often successful the face.

People connected ACE inhibitors were besides somewhat much apt to person gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding oregon inflammation of the pancreas. But those differences whitethorn person been owed to chance, cautioned Hripcsak, a prof astatine Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, successful New York City.

Going forward, helium said, doctors mightiness privation to "preferentially" prescribe ARBs arsenic a archetypal attraction for precocious humor pressure. This people of drugs includes Losartan, Valsartan and Candesartan.

But radical who are already utilizing an ACE inhibitor and doing good tin instrumentality with it. ACE inhibitors see lisinopril, captopril and fosinopril.

The survey was published online July 26 successful the diary Hypertension.

There is simply a agelong database of medications for precocious humor pressure, and guidelines urge some ACE inhibitors and ARBs arsenic first-line options. Both classes person been proven effectual successful lowering humor unit and curbing the risks of bosom illness and stroke.

But, Hripcsak said, fewer trials person made head-to-head comparisons of the 2 cause types to assistance doctors marque decisions connected which to prescribe.

So his squad looked to real-world data. They utilized a fewer ample databases from the United States, South Korea and Europe, with wellness records from astir 3 cardinal patients who were recently starting an ACE inhibitor oregon an ARB sometime betwixt 1996 and 2018.

The ample bulk — astir 2.3 cardinal — were prescribed an ACE inhibitor arsenic their azygous humor unit medication. The remainder (almost 674,000) were started connected an ARB.

Overall, the survey found, determination was nary wide quality betwixt the 2 groups successful their mean hazard of suffering a bosom attack, changeable oregon bosom failure.

ACE inhibitor patients were, however, 3 times much apt to make angioedema, and 32% much apt to make a persistent cough, the findings showed.

The risks of GI bleeding and pancreatitis were besides somewhat higher among ACE inhibitor users. But those figures did not clasp up to a statistical investigation the researchers performed, which means they could beryllium accidental findings.

Dr. Willie Lawrence is simply a cardiologist astatine the Center for Better Health, successful Benton Harbor, Mich. He said that, successful his experience, GI bleeding and pancreatitis person not been issues with the medications.

On the different hand, angioedema and "ACE cough" are well-known imaginable broadside effects, said Lawrence, who heads the American Heart Association's National Hypertension Control Initiative Oversight Committee.

There has already been a consciousness that ARBs are little apt to origin those problems, Lawrence said. But since ACE inhibitors person been disposable longer, doctors are inclined to prescribe them much often, helium added.

"I deliberation this survey raises the question of whether it's amended to conscionable spell consecutive to an ARB," Lawrence said.

But, helium noted, the survey does not supply a coagulated answer: There are inherent limits to observational studies specified arsenic this, which way patients fixed a peculiar attraction successful the existent world. Controlled objective trials, which are designed to specifically trial a treatment, connection amended evidence.

However, it's improbable anyone volition behaviour a proceedings pitting ACE inhibitors against ARBs, Lawrence said. Both cause classes are already wide utilized and disposable arsenic inexpensive generics, truthful there's nary inducement for cause makers to tally costly trials.

"I deliberation patients should beryllium alert that ACE inhibitors tin origin cough and angioedema, and if you make those symptoms, archer your superior attraction provider," Lawrence said.

But, similar Hripcsak, helium said that patients who are faring good with an ACE inhibitor person nary crushed to marque a change.

More information

The American Heart Association has proposal connected managing precocious humor pressure.

SOURCES: George Hripcsak, MD, prof and chair, biomedical informatics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City; Willie Lawrence, MD, head, National Hypertension Control Initiative Oversight Committee, American Heart Association, Dallas, and interventional cardiologist, Center for Better Health, Benton Harbor, Mich.; Hypertension, July 26, 2021, online