Forearm arterial distensibility in patients with hypertension: Comparative effects of long-term ACE inhibition and β-blocking

Fifty patients with mild or moderate hypertension were assessed for the influence on peripheral hemodynamics of 10 months of treatment with lisinopril (25 patients) or metoprolol (25 patients). Two-dimensional Doppler flowmetry was used for the evaluation. Responding patients (blood pressure < 150/90 mm Hg) were monitored for another 4 weeks after treatment withdrawal to determine whether changes in forearm hemodynamics, if any, persisted. Twenty-two patients from either group (88%) were considered to be responders. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients receiving lisinopril dropped by 6% and 15%, respectively (p < 0.001), in those receiving metoprolol the decrease was 5.9% and 14%, respectively (p < 0.001). Forearm hemodynamics was not significantly different before treatment and improved in patients receiving lisinopril, with increased compliance (p < 0.001) and lower vascular resistance (p < 0.001). No significant changes were observed with metoprolol. After withdrawal, blood pressure returned to baseline values in both groups. However, improvement in forearm hemodynamics persisted in the lisinopril group. Hemodynamics changes were statistically different on lisinopril versus metoprolol both after treatment and after withdrawal. Lisinopril, but not metoprolol, seems capable to induce regression of functional and/or structural changes of large arteries in patients with hypertension.