ramipril and Carotid-Artery-Diseases

The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) study conclusively demonstrated that ramipril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, reduces the risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (MI), and death in patients at risk for cardiovascular events but without heart failure. The Study to Evaluate Carotid Ultrasound Changes in Patients Treated with Ramipril and Vitamin E (SECURE) substudy demonstrated that ramipril also reduced atherosclerosis. These results suggest that the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has a more important role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis than previously believed, and they indicate the need for further clinical studies to define the range of benefits available from modifying the RAS. Achieving maximum benefit may require treatment with both an ACE inhibitor and an angiotensin II type-1 receptor blocker (ARB). The Randomized Evaluation of Strategies for Left Ventricular Dysfunction (RESOLVD) study indicated that combining an ACE inhibitor with an ARB decreased blood pressure and improved the ejection fraction more than treatment with either drug alone in patients with congestive heart failure. The Valsartan in Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT) showed that the combination of an ACE inhibitor and an ARB reduced hospitalization for heart failure in patients with congestive heart failure by 27.5%, although no decrease in all-cause mortality was observed. The Ongoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial (ONTARGET) is a large, long-term study (23,400 patients, 5.5 years). It will compare the benefits of ACE inhibitor treatment, ARB treatment, and treatment with an ACE inhibitor and ARB together, in a study population with established coronary artery disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, or diabetes with end-organ damage. Patients with congestive heart failure will be excluded. In a parallel study, patients unable to tolerate an ACE inhibitor will be randomized to receive telmisartan or placebo (the Telmisartan Randomized Assessment Study in ACE-I Intolerant Patients with Cardiovascular Disease [TRANSCEND]). The primary endpoint for both trials is a composite of cardiovascular death, MI, stroke, and hospitalization for heart failure. Secondary endpoints will investigate reductions in the development of diabetes mellitus, nephropathy, dementia, and atrial fibrillation. These 2 trials are expected to provide new insights into the optimal treatment of patients

Topics: Aged; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Benzimidazoles; Benzoates; Cardiovascular Diseases; Carotid Artery Diseases; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Ramipril; Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1; Telmisartan; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonography; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril and the thiazolidinedione (TZD) rosiglitazone on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and/or impaired fasting glucose (IFG).. People with IGT and/or IFG are at increased long-term risk for cardiovascular disease. Effects of ACE inhibitors and of TZDs on vascular disease in this population are unknown.. One thousand four hundred twenty-five people with IGT and/or IFG but without cardiovascular disease or diabetes were randomized to ramipril 15 mg/day or its placebo and to rosiglitazone 8 mg/day or its placebo with a 2 x 2 factorial design. The primary study outcome was the annualized change of the aggregate maximum CIMT, computed as the average of the maximum CIMTs across 12 carotid arterial segments. The secondary study outcome was the annualized change of the mean far wall left and right common CIMT. Median follow-up was 3 years and carotid ultrasound examinations were obtained at baseline and yearly thereafter.. There were no differences in the primary and secondary outcomes between the ramipril and placebo groups. Compared with placebo, rosiglitazone reduced the primary CIMT outcome, but the difference was not statistically significant (difference = 0.0027 +/- 0.0015 mm/year; p = 0.08) and significantly reduced the secondary CIMT outcome (difference = 0.0043 +/- 0.0017 mm/year; p = 0.01).. In people with IGT and/or IFG without cardiovascular disease and diabetes, treatment with ramipril had a neutral effect on CIMT, whereas rosiglitazone modestly reduced CIMT progression. (The Study of Atherosclerosis With Ramipril and Rosiglitazone; NCT00140647).

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Blood Glucose; Carotid Arteries; Carotid Artery Diseases; Fasting; Female; Glucose Tolerance Test; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hypoglycemic Agents; Male; Middle Aged; Ramipril; Rosiglitazone; Single-Blind Method; Thiazolidinediones; Tunica Intima; Ultrasonography

Activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and oxidative modification of LDL cholesterol play important roles in atherosclerosis. The Study to Evaluate Carotid Ultrasound changes in patients treated with Ramipril and vitamin E (SECURE), a substudy of the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) trial, was a prospective, double-blind, 3x2 factorial design trial that evaluated the effects of long-term treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril and vitamin E on atherosclerosis progression in high-risk patients.. A total of 732 patients >/=55 years of age who had vascular disease or diabetes and at least one other risk factor and who did not have heart failure or a low left ventricular ejection fraction were randomly assigned to receive ramipril 2.5 mg/d or 10 mg/d and vitamin E (RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) 400 IU/d or their matching placebos. Average follow-up was 4.5 years. Atherosclerosis progression was evaluated by B-mode carotid ultrasound. The progression slope of the mean maximum carotid intimal medial thickness was 0.0217 mm/year in the placebo group, 0.0180 mm/year in the ramipril 2.5 mg/d group, and 0.0137 mm/year in the ramipril 10 mg/d group (P=0.033). There were no differences in atherosclerosis progression rates between patients on vitamin E and those on placebo.. Long-term treatment with ramipril had a beneficial effect on atherosclerosis progression. Vitamin E had a neutral effect on atherosclerosis progression.

Topics: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Arteriosclerosis; Blood Pressure; Carotid Artery Diseases; Creatinine; Disease Progression; Double-Blind Method; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Compliance; Potassium; Prospective Studies; Ramipril; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonography; Vitamin E

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, ramipril, on carotid atherosclerosis in patients with coronary, cerebrovascular or peripheral vascular disease.. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary events in various patient groups and to prevent the development of atherosclerosis in animal models. It has been hypothesized that the clinical benefits of ACE inhibitors may, therefore, be mediated by effects on atherosclerosis.. Six hundred seventeen patients were randomized in equal proportions to ramipril (5-10 mg daily) or placebo. At baseline, two years and four years, carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by B-mode ultrasound, and left ventricular mass was assessed by M-mode echocardiography.. Blood pressure (BP) was reduced by a mean of 6 mm Hg systolic and 4 mm Hg diastolic in the ramipril group compared with the placebo group (p<0.001). There was no difference between groups in the changes in common carotid artery wall thickness (p = 0.58) or in carotid plaque (p = 0.93). Left ventricular mass index decreased by 3.8 g/m2 (4%) in the ramipril group compared with the placebo group (2p = 0.04).. The results provide no support for the hypothesis that reduced atherosclerosis is responsible for the beneficial effects of ACE inhibitors on major coronary events. It is more likely that the benefits are due to lower BP, reduced left ventricular mass or other factors such as reversal of endothelial dysfunction.

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Carotid Artery Diseases; Carotid Artery, Common; Coronary Disease; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Ramipril

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in most developed countries. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and vitamin E therapy may retard the atherosclerotic process; however, definitive proof in humans is lacking. The Study to Evaluate Carotid Ultrasound Changes in Patients Treated with Ramipril and Vitamin E (SECURE) is designed to assess the effects of ramipril--an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, at 2 doses: 2.5 mg daily (which has little effect on lowering blood pressure) and 10 mg daily--and the antioxidant vitamin E, 400 IU daily, on atherosclerosis progression in 732 patients using a factorial 3 x 2 study design. High-risk patients with a documented history of significant cardiovascular disease or with diabetes and additional risk factors were enrolled and will be followed for 4 years. The extent and progression of atherosclerosis are assessed noninvasively by B-mode carotid ultrasonography. The SECURE trial is a substudy of the larger Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) study of 9,541 high-risk patients evaluating the effects of ramipril and vitamin E on major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke). The 2 studies are complementary. Whereas HOPE is expected to provide information on major clinical outcomes, SECURE will shed light on the mechanisms by which these effects may be mediated.

Topics: Aged; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Arteriosclerosis; Carotid Artery Diseases; Coronary Artery Disease; Disease Progression; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis; Male; Ramipril; Research Design; Risk Factors; Ultrasonography; Vitamin E

Topics: Aged; Angioedema; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Carotid Artery Diseases; Female; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Ramipril

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Antioxidants; Carotid Artery Diseases; Disease Progression; Humans; Lipoproteins, LDL; Ramipril; Ultrasonography; Vitamin E

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Arteriosclerosis; Carotid Arteries; Carotid Artery Diseases; Humans; Ramipril; Ultrasonography; Vitamin E