title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers: what we know and current controversies.
abstract: A little more than a decade ago, management of heart failure was changed forever when a number of randomized clinical trials confirmed that a class of drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, could improve survival in patients with heart failure. The recognition that blockade of one of the neurohumoral systems activated in heart failure could improve outcomes prompted widespread testing of other neurohumoral blockers, such as beta-adrenergic blocking agents, aldosterone antagonists, and most recently, angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) for the treatment of heart failure. This article describes what is known about the use of ACE inhibitors and ARBs in the management of heart failure and presents the current controversies surrounding the use of these agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Nursing, College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, 52777 CON/HSLC Building, 760 Rose Avenue, Lexington, KY 40536-0232, USA. dmoser@uky.edu
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.forename: Martha J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Biddle
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018579:Patient Selection; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents