Administration of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor improves vascular function and urinary albumin excretion in low-risk essential hypertensive patients receiving anti-hypertensive treatment with calcium channel blockers. Organ-protecting effects independent of anti-hypertensive effect.

Concomitant administration of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) to hypertensive patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease can prevent cardiovascular disease occurrence, but the effects of this treatment on renal and vascular function in low-risk hypertensive patients are unknown. The current study was an open-label prospective study. Hypertensive patients with no history of cardiovascular disease who had not met their blood pressure (BP) goals with CCB treatment were administered perindopril and followed for 6 months. Both home and office BP were significantly lowered by perindopril administration. The morning/evening (M/E) ratios calculated from home BP were 1.31 and 1.05 for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respectively. When the patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of an anti-hypertensive response, urinary albumin excretion, and cardio ankle vascular index were significantly reduced by perindopril administration in all the subjects, irrespective of the presence or absence of anti-hypertensive reaction. In low-risk hypertensive patients, perindopril improves renal and vascular function probably via its persistent anti-hypertensive effects and the concomitant effects of CCB.