Background. Different antihypertensive drugs unequally influence on endothelial function and metabolic disorders. Among the various groups of drugs which are used to lower blood pressure, inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) are presupposed as the most appropriate.
The purpose of this study was to estimate the influence of ramipril on endothelial and metabolic factors in patients with essential hypertension and to determine their relationships.
Methods. 43 patients with arterial hypertension and risk factors were enrolled to the study. They received treatment with the ACE inhibitor — ramipril in dose of 5–10 mg for 12 weeks. The next factors were determined in the study: body mass index, waist and hips, lipid profile and blood glucose, blood flow-dependent dilation of the brachial artery by ultrasound Doppler. It was done at the beginning and at the end of the study.
Results. Significant decreasing in both the systolic blood pressure to (148.5±6.4) mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure to (95.2±3.7) mm Hg after 3 months of the treatment was marked. Target levels of diastolic blood pressure were reached in 20 (46%) patients. The trend in direction to decreasing of the mean values of body mass index, waist circumference, total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the venous blood was noticed. Changes of the HDL level were absent.
Conclusions. Significant improvement of endothelium-dependent vascular response to a stimulus was mentioned, and it was manifested by increased endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Ramipril restores the impaired endothelial function in patients with hypertension, and its effect was implemented within short treatment duration.