ACE Inhibitors
Ace Inhibitors ACE stands for Angiotensin Converting Enzyme. A protein in your blood called Angiotensin II causes blood vessels to constrict and fluid to be retained in your blood. Angiotensin II is present in everyone's blood.....however... The concentration of Angiotensin II in the blood has been found to be significantly higher in people with certain disease processes such as hypertension. ACE's are drugs that have been developed to specifically interfere with the action of the Angiotensin converting enzyme in people who have certain diseases where the Angiotensin II protein concentration is usually abnormally high.
The Action of ACE's: ACE's work by blocking the production of a particular enzyme that is involved in the process of converting Angiotensin I into Angiotensin II. With the action of Angiotensin II curtailed, your blood vessels widen and blood volume is reduced. The load to the pumping chamber(S) of your heart is also reduced.
ACE Inhibitors are used to treat... ACE's may also be used immediately following a heart attack as damage to the heart muscle could cause reduced left ventricular efficiency and encourage heart failure (CHF) to set in. In people who have been diagnosed with heart failure (CHF)...including those outside of the acute heart attack setting...the use of ACE's has shown a strong statistical reduction in the likelihood of death due to that specific cause.
Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists or Blockers These drugs are commonly known as ARB's (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers) and are very similar to ACE's...in fact they are often used as an alternative as some research suggests that they may produce fewer side effects. As the name suggests, ARB's interfere with the action of Angiotensin II on their target cells. This produces a similar effect to that of ACE Inhibitors by relaxing blood vessels. Possible side effects may include:
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