ACE inhibitors and AIIRAs: beyond their effects on BP

'Blood pressure can be measured and needs to be treated, but we need to be smarter than this in our future approach to cardiovascular disease', said Professor Jay Cohn from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, US, at the 15th Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension [New York, US; May 2000]. He was referring to the fact that hypertension is not simply a disease of numbers but rather, a syndrome of risk factors, all of which contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with hypertension. Studies have demonstrated that, independently of its effects on BP, blockade of the renin-angiotensin system may have beneficial effects on other components of the hypertension syndrome. Preliminary results from the Study to Evaluate Carotid Ultrasound Changes with Ramipril and Vitamin E (SECURE) were discussed at the meeting, as were the designs of the next generation of potential landmark trials involving angiotensin II receptor antagonists (AIIRAs).