Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition with a low dose of enalapril in normotensive diabetics with persistent proteinuria.

Angiotensin II is the main regulator of both glomerular haemodynamics and glomerular capillary permeability. An alteration in the function of intrarenal angiotensin II seems to be the cause of diabetic glomerulopathy in animals and humans. In order to investigate the renal effects of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril (5 mg once a day), 24 normotensive diabetic patients with persistent proteinuria, after a 3-month run-in period, were randomly allocated to receive the active drug (12 patients) or the corresponding placebo, for the 6 months. Effective renal plasma flow, glomerular filtration rate, renal vascular resistance and filtration fraction were measured at the end of the run-in and the treatment periods. Blood pressure, heart rate, urinary albumin excretion, plasma renin activity and aldosterone, blood glucose, serum fructosamine and body weight were checked monthly during the run-in and every 2 months during the treatment period. Enalapril decreased urinary albumin excretion in the normotensive diabetic patients without any changes in systemic blood pressure or glomerular haemodynamics. These results indicate that ACE inhibition interferes with the glomerular capillary permeability induced by angiotensin II.