Long-range safety and protective benefits of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors for hypertension. Do we need more clinical trials?

Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system is being applied with considerable success to the treatment of hypertension and heart failure. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are the only currently available agents that can achieve this objective. In general, the major therapeutic effects of these agents in the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension or of heart failure are exerted on the vascular tissue through inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system and, secondarily, of the sympathetic nervous system. When cardiovascular functional reserve is diminished and autoregulation of regional and systemic blood flow is strained, however, ACE inhibitors may affect other organ functions (heart, kidneys, and possibly brain), hormones other than the renin system, and local tissue humoral systems. The interrelations between the renin-angiotensin system and several other vasoactive systems--including circulating and locally generated tissue hormones and centrally acting neurohormonal factors--are complex and unclear. A better understanding of these mechanisms and interrelations would allow for a more rational therapeutic use of these agents. Unknown also are the clinical effects of prolonged ACE inhibition. Whether the use of ACE inhibitors can provide primary cardiorenal protection requires proof through definitive clinical trials.