title: Comparison of the effects of quinapril and losartan on carotid artery intima-media thickness in patients with mild-to-moderate arterial hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ultrasonographic evidence of increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is known to be associated with generalized atherosclerosis. Therapeutic blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reportedly reduces carotid IMT in humans. However, there has been no head-to-head comparison of the effects of ACE inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), a newer type of RAS inhibitor, on carotid IMT.
  
  
  METHODS
  57 hypertensive patients were randomly assigned to treatment with one of two antihypertensive drugs: ACE inhibitor (quinapril; n = 25, group Q) or ARB (losartan; n = 18, group L).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 1 year of treatment, a similar decrease in mean blood pressure was observed in all groups. Carotid IMT was decreased significantly in group Q (10% decrease, p < 0.05) but did not change in group L. There were no significant changes in other atherosclerotic factors between these two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the antiatherosclerotic effect of quinapril is more potent than that of losartan in hypertensive patients. This effect appears unrelated to the drug's antihypertensive action or to traditional atherosclerotic factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine II, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchiyama-Tanaka
authors.forename: Yasukiyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kishimoto
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nose
authors.forename: Yasuaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kijima
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamahara
authors.forename: Takamasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kosaki
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Toshiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwasaka
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D019808:Losartan / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077583:Quinapril; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D044005:Tetrahydroisoquinolines; D019808:Losartan; D000077583:Quinapril