Unfortunately, chronic kidney problems are a common complication of diabetes. If this problem arises, your doctor might prescribe an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Although ACE inhibitors can lower blood pressure, they also have reno-protective benefits that diabetes patients may find helpful.
Hypertension risks
Kidneys filter your blood using tens of thousands of tiny filters called glomeruli. These glomeruli consist of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. High blood pressure is dangerous for kidney patients because it literally blows out the glomeruli. If you have diabetes and are already at risk for diabetic nephropathy, high blood pressure just heightens an already risky situation.
Benefits
The kidneys can produce a hormone called angiotensin. When kidneys become scarred, they sense less blood flowing through them so that they secrete angiotensin to constrict the blood vessels, which has the effect of raising blood pressure. A vicious cycle begins to happen because as more glomeruli are destroyed by high blood pressure, less blood is filtered and more angiotensin is secreted Because ACE inhibitors lower blood pressure, they can also lower the risk for diabetic nephopathy.
Speculation
However, research shows that ACE inhibitors may have a reno-protective effect that goes beyond their ability to lower blood pressure. In a 2003 article appearing in Diabetes Care, Berthold Amann, MD and his research team tracked 22 diabetes patients for a year and monitored their renal function and uMCP-1. Dr. Amann concluded that the reno-protective effect of ACE inhibitors occurred because they also reduced levels of chemokine uMCP-1.
Although Dr. Amann's work only involved 22 patients over a year, it confirmed the suspicions the benefits of ACE inhibitors go beyond their ability to lower blood pressure.
Generic brands
Many different ACE inhibitors are on the market. The generic name of all of them end in "opril". Commonly prescribed ACE inhibitors include benazepril, lisinopril, quinopril and ramipril.
Side Effects
While a few patients experience side effects, Medline Plus reports these side effects prove rare. A dry cough or dizziness upon standing remain the most common side effects. In very rare instances, patients experience an allergic reaction to ACE inhibitors. Patients should call their doctors immediately if their tongue or lips swell.
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