Impact of the therapy by renin-angiotensin system targeting antihypertensive agents perindopril versus telmisartan on prothrombotic state in essential hypertension.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of therapy by perindopril or telmisartan on endothelial/platelet function and on coagulation/fibrinolysis in 20 and 16 hypertensive patients, respectively. The measurements were carried out before and after 1 month of therapy. Both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were reduced (P<0.001) or normalized due to each therapy. Plasma thrombomodulin (TM) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) as indicators of endothelial dysfunction, plasma beta-thromboglobulin (betaTG), platelet factor 4 (PF4), soluble P-selectin (sPsel) and soluble glycoprotein V (sGpV) as indicators of in vivo platelet activation, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) antigen and tissue type plasminogen activator (tPA) antigen as markers of fibrinolytic activity, soluble endothelial protein C receptor (sEPCR) as a new marker of hypercoagulation and fibrinogen level as a known risk factor for vascular changes were investigated. A decrease of plasma vWF, sPsel, sGpV, PAI-1 and tPA antigen level (P<0.05, respectively) after 1 month of therapy by perindopril was observed. On the other hand, a decrease of plasma sEPCR and fibrinogen level (P<0.05, respectively) after 1 month of therapy by telmisartan was found. We failed to find changes of plasma TM, betaTG and PF4 due to any therapy investigated. The additional beneficial 'antithrombotic' effects of the renin-angiotensin system targeting agents (vasculoprotective, anti-platelet and profibrinolytic effects of perindopril and anticoagulant/rheological effects of telmisartan) may be important in terms of the favourable role of antihypertensive drugs in cardiovascular morbidity.