Why the study?
Does the use of ACE inhibitors improve lower extremity muscle mass in older persons compared to other antihypertensive drugs?
Does the use of ACE inhibitors improve lower extremity muscle mass in older persons compared to other antihypertensive drugs?
In older adults without heart failure, ACE inhibitor use is associated with larger lower extremity muscle mass compared to other antihypertensive medications, suggesting a potential benefit in preventing physical disability.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
ACE inhibitor use was associated with larger lower extremity muscle mass in older adults; hypothesis-generating for disability prevention and requires prospective trials.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether older persons using angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have a larger lower extremity muscle mass (LEMM) than users of other antihypertensive drugs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. SETTING: University of Tennessee, Memphis, and University of Pittsburgh clinics. PARTICIPANTS: A community-based sample of 2,431 well functioning participants of the Health ABC, aged 70 to 79, who were free of heart failure, were selected according to use of antihypertensive medications: ACE inhibitors (n=197), beta-blockers (n=169), thiazides (n=216), calcium-channel blockers (n=340), or none (n=1,509). MEASUREMENTS: LEMM, assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, compared by index drug in analysis of variance models unadjusted and adjusted for demographics, study site, height, body fat, physical activity, blood pressure, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic pulmonary disease. RESULTS: LEMM significantly differed across the study groups, being larger in users of ACE inhibitors than in users of other drugs (unadjusted and adjusted models). LEMM was comparable in users of ACE inhibitors and no drug users. A trend toward larger LEMM was also observed in sex- and ethnicity-stratified analyses and in the subgroup of noncoronary hypertensive participants. CONCLUSION: In older persons, use of ACE inhibitors is associated cross-sectionally with larger LEMM. This finding suggests a possible explanation of the benefits of ACE inhibitors in wasting syndromes. If confirmed in longitudinal studies, this pharmacological action might have important implications for the prevention of physical disability in older patients with hypertension.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Bari et al. (2004) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: