THERAPEUTIC ADVANTAGES OF AT(1) BLOCKERS IN HYPERTENSION

Most antihypertensives have advantages and disadvantages. The ideal an tihypertensive drug should be effective in lowering blood pressure, we ll tolerated, safe in the long term, and easy to use. Ideally it shoul d be relatively inexpensive. Most importantly it should reduce the ris k of the adverse effects of high blood pressure, such as myocardial in farction, sudden death, stroke, heart failure, renal damage, and retin al changes. Most antihypertensive drugs effectively reduce blood press ure, are available as once daily preparations, and are safe long-term. Unfortunately, most antihypertensive drugs cause adverse effects in s ome patients and for few drugs is there good evidence that they protec t the heart, the brain, the kidney, and the eye? Reducing the effects of Angiotensin II (using an ACE inhibitor) has been shown to reduce th e incidence of coronary events, sudden death, heart failure, renal dam age, and fundal changes. AT(1) blocking drugs offer the same pharmacol ogical advantages but also very good tolerability, in particular no co ugh. Therefore, they have the potential to meet all the criteria for a n ideal antihypertensive drug.