EFFECTS OF ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS ON LARGE ARTERY COMPLIANCE

The changes in arterial compliance following drug treatment have been studied mainly in hypertension. Physiologically, reduced arterial comp liance independently affects blood pressure through an increase in sys tolic pressure and a decrease in diastolic pressure at any given value of mean arterial pressure. This review summarizes the pharmacological studies performed in recent years on the ability of antihypertensive drugs to modify arterial compliance. For the same decrease in mean art erial pressure, antihypertensive drugs may have differential effects i mproving arterial compliance (calcium channel blockers, converting enz yme inhibitors, alpha-blockers and some beta-blockers) or causing no c hange (dihydralazine, diuretics, propranolol) with resulting consequen ces on cardiac structure and function.