ACE inhibitors and target organ protection. An expanded role for these antihypertensive agents?

Lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) involves more than treatment of individual risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. In this article, Drs Toto, Rinner, and Ram present an evidence-based approach to reducing CVD risk and suggest that optimal treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors should be extended to a larger proportion of at-risk patients and in particular to those not previously considered candidates for use of these agents.