Disparate effects of antihypertensive drugs on large artery distensibility and compliance in hypertension.

Distensibility and compliance are large artery properties, that may be important in cardiovascular disease. Distensibility is a determinant of the pulsatile stress on the vessel wall and is thought important in ageing and atherosclerotic disease. Compliance reflects the buffering capacity of the arteries and is a major determinant of the afterload on the heart. In hypertension large arteries are getting stiffer, resulting in a decreased distensibility and compliance. Decrease in blood pressure by itself can improve large artery properties. Despite a decrease in blood pressure, not all antihypertensive drugs improve large artery properties. Compliance is improved by firstline antihypertensive drugs such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, calcium antagonists, beta-blockers with vasodilating properties, selective beta 1-blockers and some diuretics. Recent data suggest that ACE inhibitors such as perindopril improve distensibility and compliance of large arteries more than diuretics such as amiloride/hydrochlorothiazide. Apart from the indirect effect (decrease in blood pressure), this makes a direct effect of perindopril on large artery properties very likely. ACE inhibitors such as perindopril decrease the afterload on the heart more than diuretics such as amiloride/hydrochlorothiazide by both a more pronounced decrease in systemic vascular resistance and an increase in large artery compliance.